Can a Virtual Reality Training Scenario Elicit Similar Stress Response as a Realistic Scenario-Based Training Scenario
Authors/Institution
M. Hunter Martaindale (Texas State University – ALERRT), William L. Sandel (Missouri State), Aaron Duron (Texas State), Matthew J. McAllister (Texas State – MAP Lab)
- Published in: Police Quarterly circa 2023
- Focus Area: Stress response and decision-making in VR-based emergency training compared to live scenario-based training (SBT).
Research summary:
This study tested whether a virtual reality (VR) training exercise could trigger a similar physiological stress response as a realistic live police training scenario.
Researchers recruited two groups of university students (similar in age to police recruits). One group completed a live, scenario-based training (SBT), while the second group completed an identical VR simulation, created using 360° video footage from the live drill.
Stress levels were measured before and after each session using salivary biomarkers. specifically:
- α-amylase (an enzyme linked to the body’s “fight-or-flight” response), and
- secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) (an antibody that rises with stress and immune activation).
Each scenario lasted about 50 seconds, and samples were collected five minutes before and five minutes after exposure.
To analyze results, the researchers used difference-in-differences (a statistical technique that compares changes over time between two groups) and two-way ANOVA (a method to see if two factors, here, training type and time, interact to affect results).
Results showed that both SBT and VR produced significant increases in stress indicators, but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. In plain terms: VR training raised participants’ stress levels nearly as much as live training.
“VR can elicit a similar stress response to SBT”
Key findings:
- α-amylase:
- Live SBT: 136.19 → 234.37 U/mL
- VR: 98.57 → 159.06 U/mL
- Difference: Not statistically significant (p = 0.39)
- SIgA:
- Live SBT: 221.34 → 290.62 μg/mL
- VR: 311.31 → 358.14 μg/mL
- Difference: Not statistically significant (p = 0.64)
- Both groups experienced meaningful physiological stress.
- VR closely mirrored real-world stress reactions.
- Findings suggest VR can replicate high-pressure decision-making environments effectively.
The bottom line:
A fully immersive VR drill elicited an acute stress response comparable to a realistic live SBT exercise.
Why this matters:
For police officers or anyone working in high-stakes, high-stress professions like firefighting or industrial safety, training under pressure is essential. But it’s also expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes risky.
This study adds to growing evidence that VR can safely reproduce the stress, urgency, and decision-making demands of real incidents, making it a valuable tool for stress inoculation and situational awareness training.
At XpertVR, this aligns closely with what we see in our own simulations: when learners experience realistic emotional pressure in VR, they retain skills better and react faster in the real world.