Dr. Fariba Mostajeran

Invited Speech: Effects of Virtual Nature on Cognitive Performance and Psychological Well-being

Biography:

Fariba Mostajeran is a post-doctoral research associate at the Department of Informatics at the University of Hamburg. Her research combines research methods from different disciplines, such as computer science, psychology, and environmental science to study the effects of immersive media on users. It includes studying the psycho- and physiological effects of exposure to and interaction with virtual and augmented realities on older and younger adults.

Abstract:

A large number of studies have demonstrated the benefits of natural environments on people’s health and well-being. For people who have limited access to nature, virtual representations may provide an alternative to benefit from the illusion of a natural environment. In this talk, I will present some of our research on virtual nature representations in immersive virtual reality (VR) environments that led to higher cognitive performance and psychological well-being of the participants compared to the presented alternatives.