The effects of information and hazard on evacuee behavior in virtual reality

Many contextual factors can influence evacuees' choice of egress route during an emergency. Anxiety caused by the emergency situation may lead to suboptimal choices, resulting in slower evacuation and greater risk of injury or death. The present pilot study tests the influence of hazard level (...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fire safety journal 2018-07, Vol.99, p.1-11
Main Authors: Tucker, A., Marsh, K.L., Gifford, T., Lu, X., Luh, P.B., Astur, R.S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Computer applications
Egress
Emergencies
Emergency exits
Evacuation
Evacuations & rescues
Fire hazards
Hazard
Hazards
Health risks
Information
Navigation
Psychological factors
Signs
Smoke
Virtual reality
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Summary:Many contextual factors can influence evacuees' choice of egress route during an emergency. Anxiety caused by the emergency situation may lead to suboptimal choices, resulting in slower evacuation and greater risk of injury or death. The present pilot study tests the influence of hazard level (presence of visible fire and smoke) and information about an obstacle (delivered verbally or through signage) on evacuees' anxiety levels and choice of egress route in a virtual reality (VR) simulation of a fire evacuation with multiple possible exits. Physiological measures were recorded and used to validate the efficacy of VR in inducing anxiety germane to the situation of interest. Consistent with our expectations, providing information about the obstacle was shown to decrease total evacuation time. Contrary to our predictions, it did not significantly impact evacuees' choice of exit. Information also had a marginally significant effect on participants' self-reported anxiety. Providing more targeted information may further reduce anxiety and evacuation time. More generally, VR appears well-suited to assessing individual and psychological factors in evacuations. •Virtual reality simulation of fire emergency in building with multiple exits.•Providing information about an obstacle reduced evacuation time.•Physiological measures show VR efficacy in inducing anxiety.•Evacuation time positively correlated with evacuee anxiety.•High hazard level, utilizing main exits associated with competitive behavior.
ISSN:0379-7112
1873-7226
DOI:10.1016/j.firesaf.2018.04.011