Emotions are crucial ingredients of meaningful and memorable tourism experiences. Research methods borrowed from experimental psychology are prime candidates for quantifying emotions while experiences are unfolding. The present article empirically evaluates the methodological feasibility and usefulness of ambulatory recordings of skin conductance responses (SCRs) during a tourism experience. We recorded SCRs in participants while they experienced a roller-coaster ride with or without a virtual reality (VR) headset. Ride elements were identified that related to physical aspects (such as accelerations and braking), to events in the VR environment, and to the physical theming of the roller coaster. VR rides were evaluated more positively than normal rides. SCR time series were meaningfully related to the different ride elements. SCR signals did not significantly predict overall evaluations of the ride. We conclude that psychophysiological measurements are a new avenue for understanding how hospitality, tourism and leisure experiences dynamically develop over time.
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Emotions are a key component of tourism experiences, as emotions make experiences more valued and more memorable. Peak-and-end-theory states that overall experience evaluations are best predicted by the emotions at the most intense and final moments of an experience. Peak-and-end-theory has mostly been studied for relatively simple experiences. Recent insights suggest that peak-and-end-theory does not necessarily hold for tourism experiences, which tend to be more heterogeneous and multi-episodic in nature. Through the novel approach of using electrophysiological measures in combination with experience reconstruction, the applicability of the peak-and-end-theory to the field of tourism is addressed by studying a musical theatre show in a theme park resort. Findings indicate that for a multi-episodic tourism experience, hypotheses from the peak-and-end-theory are rejected for the experience as a whole, but supported for individual episodes within the experience. Furthermore, it is shown that electrophysiology sheds a new light on the temporal dynamics of experience
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Recent advancements in mobile sensing and wearable technologies create new opportunities to improve our understanding of how people experience their environment. This understanding can inform urban design decisions. Currently, an important urban design issue is the adaptation of infrastructure to increasing cycle and e-bike use. Using data collected from 12 cyclists on a cycle highway between two municipalities in The Netherlands, we coupled location and wearable emotion data at a high spatiotemporal resolution to model and examine relationships between cyclists' emotional arousal (operationalized as skin conductance responses) and visual stimuli from the environment (operationalized as extent of visible land cover type). We specifically took a within-participants multilevel modeling approach to determine relationships between different types of viewable land cover area and emotional arousal, while controlling for speed, direction, distance to roads, and directional change. Surprisingly, our model suggests ride segments with views of larger natural, recreational, agricultural, and forested areas were more emotionally arousing for participants. Conversely, segments with views of larger developed areas were less arousing. The presented methodological framework, spatial-emotional analyses, and findings from multilevel modeling provide new opportunities for spatial, data-driven approaches to portable sensing and urban planning research. Furthermore, our findings have implications for design of infrastructure to optimize cycling experiences.
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Theme parks are looking into extending the life cycle of roller coasters by creating VR environments that are designed for and synchronised with the ride. Riding a coaster with a VR headset that immerses visitors into a virtual environment is therefore a rapidly emerging trend.In this project we compare how visitors experience a roller coaster ride with and without VR add-on.We recorded bodily indices of emotional engagement (skin conductance responses; SCRs) during roller coaster rides with and without Virtual Reality (VR) add-ons, alongside with self-reported evaluations of the two types of rides.Self-reported levels of presence are similar across VR and NVR rides, and VR rides are evaluated more positively. SCR time series correlate meaningfully with the different ride elements and can therefore be used to identify which parts of the ride are, or aren’t, emotionally engaging. SCRs do not significantly predict overall evaluations of the ride, however.Main collaborating partner: Europapark, Germany
The leisure industry is an economy of experiences. As a leisure or tourism organisation you want the experience you are offering to be remembered, so visitors share the experience with friends or want to relive it once again. In other words, the experience should be memorable.During an experience (a holiday, a visit to an attraction park or museum), all sorts of emotions are being experienced. The flux of these emotions (strong to weak) is a contributing factor as to how people remember an experience. If there is no emotion involved in an experience, it is likely be forgotten soon.This PhD research explores how exactly emotions contribute to the memorability of experiences, and what pattern of emotions influences it. To be able to measure emotions, state-of-the-art research methods are used from the Experience Lab, such as brain research (EEG) and skin conductance.
Het gezamenlijk beleven van (top)sportwedstrijden vormt voor kwetsbare volwassenen, met een gering sociaal kapitaal, een platform om de voor hen zo noodzakelijke sociale netwerken op te bouwen en in stand te houden. Wedstrijdbezoek is echter afhankelijk van factoren zoals vitaliteit, lichamelijke en geestelijke gezondheid, en financiële draagkracht. Wanneer deze wegvallen dreigt sociaal isolement en eenzaamheid, met alle persoonlijke en maatschappelijke gevolgen van dien. Digitale innovaties op het gebied van immersieve Augmented Reality (AR) kunnen een oplossing zijn om volwassenen die mentaal, fysiek of financieel niet in staat zijn om sportevenementen zoals ererdivisievoetbal bij te wonen, toch een stadion- en wedstrijdbeleving te bieden. Hiermee kunnen ze toch aansluiting blijven vinden bij hun sociale netwerken. In het beoogde project wordt AR content doorontwikkeld, en geprojecteerd over de glazen van een AR bril, met als doel de stadionbeleving van thuiswedstrijden van BVO PSV zoveel mogelijk op te roepen. AR-layers bestaan onder meer uit een persoonlijke welkomstboodschap van spelers van het eerste elftal van PSV, virtuele looproutes die toegang geven tot het stadion, en gedrag en geluid van virtuele mede-toeschouwers of spelers en artiesten. De mate waarin AR de beleving verrijkt wordt vervolgens getoetst in een experiment, waarbij de beleving van een voetbalwedstrijd met en zonder AR verrijking wordt gemeten in een stadion-setting en in een thuissetting. De beleving wordt gemeten met fysiologische signalen zoals hartslagvariabiliteit en huidgeleiding, die een objectieve maat vormen van emotionele engagement tijdens het stadion- en wedstrijdbezoek. Daarnaast wordt ook een subjectieve belevingsmaat ontwikkeld en gebenchmarkt (de belevingsimpact-score). Zo kan worden vastgesteld of de beleving van een wedstrijd in een thuissetting die verrijkt is met AR dichter in de buurt komt van een daadwerkelijke stadionbeleving.
