Are VR Experimental Labs an Alternative to Traditional Experimental Settings for NeuroIS Research? A Replication Study with the Iowa Gambling Task

Virtual Reality (VR) has the potential to revolutionize experimental research in NeuroIS by providing immersive laboratory environments that reduce logistical constraints and enable more scalable as well as diverse participant recruitment. However, it is currently unclear to what extend real-world experiments can be transferred to a VR setup. This study proposal aims to investigate the potential of VR experimental laboratories to replicate both behavioural and physiological re-sponses observed in traditional in-person experimental laboratory settings. Using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), we employ a between-subjects design to compare three experimental conditions: (a) real-world laboratory, (b) 2D desktop-based laboratory, and (c) 3D VR-based laboratory. We collect behavioural and physiological data of heart rate, eye movement, and skin conductance. Our findings seek to contribute to the understanding of to which extent VR could serve as a promising new experimental setting, alongside traditional experimental laboratories, potentially merging the controlled environment of laboratory studies with the ecological validity of field research.