Peer Review

VIDEO of a Virtual Reality Schizophrenia Simulation

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Sep 10, 2020 by Psychology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This learning object is a brief (3-minute) ABC News video that presents a simulation created by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a company with a long history of investigating schizophrenia. The simulation lets a participant see the world through the eyes and ears of a person with schizophrenic illness. Janssen created the simulation as an education tool for doctors and others who want a more visceral understanding of the illness.

Type of Material:

Video/Presentation

Recommended Uses:

The video would be a great demonstration for in-class presentation and discussion. It would be equally effective if watched as homework (individual review) and then later discussed in class.

Technical Requirements:

Only Internet access is required. The video opened and played in different web browsers (Chrome and Firefox). Audio and/or captions must be enabled.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The short video shows a simulation of what someone with paranoid schizophrenia (delusions and hallucinations) might experience. This would be a useful learning exercise in many classes that include study of psychological disorders.

Target Student Population:

College General Ed, College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Graduate School, Professional

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

It would be beneficial to have a general understanding of paranoid schizophrenia or at least hallucinations and delusions that may accompany such a diagnosis. Pre-reading with background about the common symptoms of schizophrenia may be useful for students.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The video may help students and researchers develop empathy and understanding for schizophrenics with hallucinations and delusions. It is a quick, useful demonstration.
The presented content is interesting and conveys engaging details of the simulation along with participants' reactions to this simulation.

Concerns:

The video shows only some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. It needs to be made clear that there could be a large variety of symptoms and that there are different types of schizophrenia – not all have hallucinations and delusions.
The content is slightly outdated and could benefit from an update with newer materials if available. The quality of the video is a bit degraded.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

This is a useful three-minute video demonstration simulating the symptoms of schizophrenia (easy to convey visually to students).
If presented along with more information on schizophrenia, the video can be a useful discussion starter for treatment, living in society, etc.

Concerns:

The video may be disturbing for those who have experienced such symptoms in the past.
It is only one view of issues with schizophrenia – additional material is needed for the full explanation.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

This learning object offers high ease of use as it takes the form of a short video offered through YouTube.
Closed captioning is available.

Concerns:

Though available, the closed captioning is not always accurate.

Other Issues and Comments:: If an updated video is available, it would provide a useful comparison of where the simulation began versus any updated technologies available today and how patients may respond to the new technologies.
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