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Veronica Weser, PhD

Associate Research Scientist

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Veronica Weser, PhD
play4REAL XR Lab
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Research Summary

Dr. Weser's research during her PhD candidacy primarily concerned illusions, tool use, and user experience in VR (virtual reality). Her work investigated VR users' sensitivity to speed increases and decreases, virtual rotation, or increases and decreases in virtual height. Dr. Weser is interested in the concept of "embodiment," and how humans are able to understand the position of their bodies and limbs in space, as well as the ways in which having an avatar can enhance or detract from one's experience in VR. Beyond VR, Dr. Weser had also extensively used the rubber hand illusion to investigate how one's embodiment in the physical world can be altered through multisensory illusions. She uses this foundation of basic science research to guide the creation of applied VR intervention experiences for vulnerable populations.

Coauthors

Research Interests

Cognition; Perception; Psychology; Psychometrics; Psychophysics; Cognitive Science; Virtual Reality

Selected Publications

  • A quasi-experimental test of a virtual reality game prototype for adolescent E-Cigarette prevention.Weser VU, Duncan LR, Pendergrass TM, Fernandes CS, Fiellin LE, Hieftje KD. A quasi-experimental test of a virtual reality game prototype for adolescent E-Cigarette prevention. Addictive Behaviors 2021, 112: 106639. PMID: 32920455, DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106639.
  • Expertise in Tool Use Promotes Tool Embodiment.Weser VU, Proffitt DR. Expertise in Tool Use Promotes Tool Embodiment. Topics In Cognitive Science 2021, 13: 597-609. PMID: 34080797, DOI: 10.1111/tops.12538.
  • Evaluation of a virtual reality E-cigarette prevention game for adolescents.Weser VU, Duncan LR, Sands BE, Schartmann A, Jacobo S, François B, Hieftje KD. Evaluation of a virtual reality E-cigarette prevention game for adolescents. Addictive Behaviors 2021, 122: 107027. PMID: 34225030, DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107027.
  • How Black Teen Girls Navigate Social Media to Form Romantic Relationships.Weser VU, Opara I, Sands BE, Fernandes CF, Hieftje KD. How Black Teen Girls Navigate Social Media to Form Romantic Relationships. Social Media + Society 2021, 7 PMID: 34858631, PMCID: PMC8634895, DOI: 10.1177/20563051211033823.
  • Making the visual tangible: substituting lifting speed limits for object weight in VRWeser V, Proffitt DR. Making the visual tangible: substituting lifting speed limits for object weight in VR. PRESENCE: Virtual and Augmented Reality. 2019 Mar 1;27(1):68-79.
  • Choosing efficient actions: Deciding where to walk.Linkenauger SA, Weser V, Proffitt DR. Choosing efficient actions: Deciding where to walk. PloS One 2019, 14: e0219729. PMID: 31557187, PMCID: PMC6762191, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219729.
  • Tool Embodiment: The Tool's Output Must Match the User's Input.Weser V, Proffitt DR. Tool Embodiment: The Tool's Output Must Match the User's Input. Frontiers In Human Neuroscience 2018, 12: 537. PMID: 30687050, PMCID: PMC6336895, DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00537.
  • Multisensory integration induces body ownership of a handtool, but not any handtool.Weser V, Finotti G, Costantini M, Proffitt DR. Multisensory integration induces body ownership of a handtool, but not any handtool. Consciousness And Cognition 2017, 56: 150-164. PMID: 28720401, DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.07.002.
  • Feeling Invisible and Unheard: A Qualitative Exploration of Gendered-Racist Stereotypes Influence on Sexual Decision Making and Mistreatment of Black Teen Girls1. Opara I, Weser V, Sands B, Fernandes C-SF, Hussett-Richardson S, Hieftje K. Feeling Invisible and Unheard: A Qualitative Exploration of Gendered-Racist Stereotypes Influence on Sexual Decision Making and Mistreatment of Black Teen Girls. Youth & Society. 2022;54(4):527-546. doi:10.1177/0044118X221075051
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