A Virtual Reality Study of Cognitive Biases in Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Previous research shows that individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) misinterpret
ambiguous social information in a negative and threatening manner. These erroneous threat
appraisals are thought to maintain disorder symptomatology and psychosocial impairment by
reinforcing individuals' distorted self-image and ideas of social undesirability. Thus,
maladaptive interpretation biases represent an important treatment target for this
population; however, existing bias assessments and modification protocols are limited by the
hypothetical and distal nature of scenarios and do not capture momentary experiential threat
processes. The proposed study seeks to test virtual reality (VR) technology as a novel, in
vivo means of eliciting, identifying, and measuring threat interpretation biases in a
clinical sample to better understand the fear/threat structure activated during social
interactions in BDD. Findings have the potential to enhance our understanding of disorder
maintenance and identify more nuanced treatment targets. This study represents a critical
first step in the long-term goal of harnessing VR gaming technology to supercharge existing
treatment approaches for this debilitating illness.