Table 1.
Summary of concepts underlying Virtual Reality and type of cue.
| Concept | Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual reality | An advanced human-computer interface that simulates a realistic environment and allows participants to interact with it. Its purpose is to allow a person sensory-motor and cognitive activity in an artificial world, created numerically, which can be imaginary, symbolic or a simulation of certain aspects of the real world. Each VR application is characterized by two key criteria: presence and autonomy. | Ouramdane et al., 2009 |
| Virtual environment | The place suggested by the VR, represented by a 3D model of real or imaginary data that can be visualized and with which participants can interact in real time. | Ouramdane et al., 2009 |
| Immersion | The objective description of what a VR display can provide in terms of technologies. It includes the extent to which the display is extensive (number of sensory systems involved), surrounding (information can arrive from any direction), inclusive (all information from the real world is shut out), vivid (richness and quality of the sensory information generated) and matching (a match is needed between information generated and participant's proprioceptive feedback). It also requires a self-presentation in the virtual environment i.e., a virtual body. | Slater et al., 1999 |
| Presence | The subjective, psychological feeling of “being there”, in the place depicted by the virtual environment. Immersion, control over environments, naturalness and realness of interactions all together contribute to the sense of presence. | Witmer and Singer, 1998 |
| Head-Mounted Display (HMD) | The most immersive device: it displays separated images for each eye allowing stereo vision with stereo earphones and head tracking continually capturing the position and orientation of the participant's head. Rather than being a passive, external observer of video images, it allows participants to see a surrounding 3D stereo scene that can change dynamically. | Anderson et al., 2001; Slater, 2009 |
| Cybersickness | A constellation of motion sickness-like symptoms occurring during and upon VR exposure. It includes symptoms such as disorientation, dizziness and nausea. and may be considered as a potential threat to the ultimate usability of virtual reality. | Stanney et al., 1997 |
| Craving | Defined by the subjective preoccupation or strong desire to use a drug, craving has become a major diagnostic criterion of addictive disorders and is considered a central feature of addiction. | Sayette, 2016 |
| Psycho-physiological response | These responses, controlled by the autonomic nervous system, are considered objective markers of cue-reactivity. Heart rate, skin conductance and temperature are the most studied psychological responses. | Conklin and Tiffany, 2002 |
| Attention to cue | Referring to attention bias, attention to cue is the motivational trend to focus on drug cues while neglecting or ignoring others type of stimuli. | Field et al., 2014 |
| Proximal cues | This is the most frequent type of cue used in traditional cue-reactivity studies. Proximal cues are ubiquitous across drug use. They are more often visual cues such as cigarette, ashtray, lighters, bottle of alcohol but can also be olfactory, auditory and tactile. | Conklin et al., 2008 |
| Contextual (or distal) cues | They refer to the environment or context, with or without social interaction, in which substance use occurs such as bar or party. As well as proximal cues and despite being less reliable, they can elicit conditioned responses by being previously paired with drug use. | Conklin et al., 2008 |
| Complex cues | A combination of proximal and contextual cues. They represent a more complete picture of real-world stimuli (people drinking alcohol in a party or smokers gathering outside a bar). | Conklin et al., 2008 |