Sara Ventura

University of Valencia Spain

Sara Ventura obtained a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Padua, Italy, and a master’s degree from the Catholic University of Milan, Italy. In 2020, she obtained a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Valencia, Spain. Dr. Ventura is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Valencia and visiting researcher at the University of Bologna. Her research focuses on the application of advanced technologies such as virtual reality for clinical and social well-being. Her main interest is the study of the body illusion paradigm to promote empathy in challenging contexts as well as clinical rehabilitation. She is passionate about travel, which is reflected in her partnership with various universities around the globe.

1books edited

2chapters authored

Latest work with IntechOpen by Sara Ventura

Empathy - Advanced Research and Applications is a compilation of recent experimental studies and theoretical models on the concept of empathy and its implication in various aspects of social life. The book describes the multifaceted construct of empathy and presents arduous concepts in a fluent and understandable way to reach readers who may not be familiar with the subject. Through this book, readers will understand the importance of empathetic skills and the neurological and psychological mechanisms of empathy. There is even the possibility to learn and improve one’s empathetic ability. Empathy is vital for society’s wellness and we hope that this book serves as a springboard for future research in the field.

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Empathy

Edited by Sara Ventura

Chapters authored

Virtual and Augmented Reality: New Frontiers for Clinical Psychology

By Sara Ventura, Rosa M. Baños and Cristina Botella

In the last decades, the applied approach for the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) on clinical and health psychology has grown exponentially. These technologies have been used to treat several mental disorders, for example, phobias, stress-related disorders, depression, eating disorders, and chronic pain. The importance of VR/AR for the mental health field comes from three main concepts: (1) VR/AR as an imaginal technology, people can feel “as if they are” in a reality that does not exist in external world; (2) VR/AR as an embodied technology, the experience to feel user’s body inside the virtual environment; and (3) VR/AR as connectivity technology, the “end of geography’. In this chapter, we explore the opportunities provided by VR/AR as technologies to improve people’s quality of life and to discuss new frontiers for their application in mental health and psychological well-being promotion.

Part of the book: State of the Art Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Knowhow

Roundtable: Raising Empathy through Virtual Reality

By Sara Ventura and Alison Jane Martingano

Virtual reality (VR) has been described as the ultimate empathy machine; but does it deserve this reputation? Thanks to its features of embodied technology, VR can let users virtually walk in someone else’s shoes. In addition, multi-sensory VR experiences can present evocative and heart-wrenching stimuli. For these reasons, VR seems to be a likely candidate to foster empathy. However, the published literature indicates that the impact of VR on empathy is complex and depends both on the type of VR and also the type of empathy being evaluated. The present chapter compares two meta-analyses which suggest that VR can elicit empathy, but the theoretical factors on which the technology has more efficacies are in contrast. In this chapter, these discordant meta-analyses are discussed, and the reasons why they find different results are theorized. We attempt to answer when and how VR could be an empathy machine. We conclude that low-tech but evocative storytelling is most likely to yield emotional empathy, and embodied experiences that encourage perspective-taking will improve cognitive empathy. Although we attempt to present the latest empirical evidence about empathy and VR, we are aware that the scientific consensus around this topic is likely to evolve in the future.

Part of the book: Empathy

Sara Ventura

Latest work with IntechOpen by Sara Ventura

Empathy

Chapters authored

Related collaborators

Alcínia Zita Sampaio

Emanuel Petricoin

Rosa Maria Baños

Lance Liotta

Julián De La Fuente

Enrique Castaño-Perea

Félix Labrador-Arroyo

Rabia Yilmaz

David Douglas

Cristina Botella