Effects of visual fidelity on biometric cue detection in virtual combat profiling training

Abstract

Combat Profiling involves observation of humans and the environment to identify behavioral anomalies signifying the presence of a potential threat. Desires to expand accessibility to Combat Profiling training motivate the training community to investigate Virtual Environments (VEs). VE design recommendations will benefit efforts to translate Combat Profiling training methods to virtual platforms. Visual aspects of virtual environments may significantly impact observational and perceptual training objectives. This experiment compared the effects of high and low fidelity virtual characters for biometric cue detection training on participant performance and perceptions. Results suggest that high fidelity virtual characters promote positive training perceptions and self-efficacy, but do not significantly impact overall performance. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.