Virtual reality training for police officers: a comparison of training responses in VR and real-life training

Lisanne Kleygrewe; R. I.Vana Hutter; Matthijs Koedijk; Raôul R.D. Oudejans

doi:10.1080/15614263.2023.2176307

Virtual reality training for police officers: a comparison of training responses in VR and real-life training

Lisanne Kleygrewe^*, R. I.Vana Hutter, Matthijs Koedijk, Raôul R.D. Oudejans

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

In policing, Virtual Reality scenario-based training (VR SBT) is being explored to complement real-life scenario-based training (RL SBT). We investigated whether relevant training responses in VR SBT, namely heart rate (HR), level of physical activity, mental effort, and perceived stress, resemble those in RL SBT. Utilizing a within-subject study design, we investigated the training responses of 237 police officers of the Dutch National Police. We found that the maximum HR and average level of physical activity were significantly higher in RL SBT, whereas invested mental effort was significantly higher in VR SBT. No significant differences were found in average HR and perceived stress. We also found that perceived stress in VR was predicted by participants’ VR experiences such as engagement with VR and experience of negative effects, but not by participant characteristics. Participants’ mental effort in VR was predicted by their VR experiences and participant characteristics, particularly gaming frequency. In conclusion, VR SBT can elicit perceived stress, mental effort, and average HR that resemble or exceed responses in RL SBT, providing a promising tool to complement police training.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	18-37
Number of pages	20
Journal	Police Practice and Research
Volume	25
Issue number	1
Early online date	9 Feb 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2023.2176307
Publication status	Published - 2024

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 833672.The content reflects only authors´ view. Research Executive Agency and European Commission are not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained herein. The authors would like to thank RE-liON, the Dutch National Police, their police trainers, and the police officers who participated in this experiment for their invaluable contribution to this study. In particular, we would like to thank Jeffrey Sprakel for the organization and oversight of the training.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 833672.The content reflects only authors´ view. Research Executive Agency and European Commission are not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained herein. The authors would like to thank RE-liON, the Dutch National Police, their police trainers, and the police officers who participated in this experiment for their invaluable contribution to this study. In particular, we would like to thank Jeffrey Sprakel for the organization and oversight of the training.

Keywords

mental effort
perceived stress
Police training
training responses
virtual reality

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10.1080/15614263.2023.2176307

Kleygrewe et al. (2023) - Virtual Reality Training for Police OfficersFinal published version, 2.23 MBLicence: CC BY

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15614263.2023.2176307Licence: CC BY

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Cite this

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abstract = "In policing, Virtual Reality scenario-based training (VR SBT) is being explored to complement real-life scenario-based training (RL SBT). We investigated whether relevant training responses in VR SBT, namely heart rate (HR), level of physical activity, mental effort, and perceived stress, resemble those in RL SBT. Utilizing a within-subject study design, we investigated the training responses of 237 police officers of the Dutch National Police. We found that the maximum HR and average level of physical activity were significantly higher in RL SBT, whereas invested mental effort was significantly higher in VR SBT. No significant differences were found in average HR and perceived stress. We also found that perceived stress in VR was predicted by participants{\textquoteright} VR experiences such as engagement with VR and experience of negative effects, but not by participant characteristics. Participants{\textquoteright} mental effort in VR was predicted by their VR experiences and participant characteristics, particularly gaming frequency. In conclusion, VR SBT can elicit perceived stress, mental effort, and average HR that resemble or exceed responses in RL SBT, providing a promising tool to complement police training.",

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Virtual reality training for police officers: a comparison of training responses in VR and real-life training

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

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SHOTPROS: A HUMAN FACTORS BASED (VR) TRAINING FRAMEWORK FOR DECISION-MAKING AND ACTING CAPABILITIES UNDER STRESS AND IN HIGH-RISK SITUATIONS FOR EUROPEAN LEAS.

Cite this

Virtual reality training for police officers: a comparison of training responses in VR and real-life training

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Persistent URL (handle)

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

SHOTPROS: A HUMAN FACTORS BASED (VR) TRAINING FRAMEWORK FOR DECISION-MAKING AND ACTING CAPABILITIES UNDER STRESS AND IN HIGH-RISK SITUATIONS FOR EUROPEAN LEAS.

Cite this