

de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
Guingo, E.; Debeurme, M. H.; Santos, R. P.; Addab, S.; Rainville, P.; Bouchard, S.; Chougui, K.; Tsimicalis, A.; Nault, M. -L.; Ducruet, T.; Ledjiar, O.; Noel, M.; St-Arneault, K.; Cotes-Turpin, C.; Hung, N.; Ouimet, P.; Parent, S.; Gardner, J.; Bernstein, M.; May, S. Le
Efficacy of Virtual Reality vs. Tablet Games for Pain and Anxiety in Children Undergoing Bone Pins Removal: Randomised Clinical Trial Journal Article
In: Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 1791–1802, 2026, ISSN: 03092402 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, analgesia, Anxiety, Bone Nails, Child, Children, clinical trial, comparative study, controlled study, female, human, Humans, intramedullary nailing, male, multicenter study, Pain Management, procedural pain, procedures, randomized controlled trial, Therapy, video game, Video Games, virtual reality
@article{guingo_efficacy_2026,
title = {Efficacy of Virtual Reality vs. Tablet Games for Pain and Anxiety in Children Undergoing Bone Pins Removal: Randomised Clinical Trial},
author = {E. Guingo and M. H. Debeurme and R. P. Santos and S. Addab and P. Rainville and S. Bouchard and K. Chougui and A. Tsimicalis and M. -L. Nault and T. Ducruet and O. Ledjiar and M. Noel and K. St-Arneault and C. Cotes-Turpin and N. Hung and P. Ouimet and S. Parent and J. Gardner and M. Bernstein and S. Le May},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105004216228&doi=10.1111%2Fjan.16991&partnerID=40&md5=9200a82b5c9572abcc5170e9c9d6142b},
doi = {10.1111/jan.16991},
issn = {03092402 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Advanced Nursing},
volume = {82},
number = {2},
pages = {1791–1802},
abstract = {Aims: To verify the efficacy of virtual reality compared to tablet games for pain and anxiety management in children undergoing percutaneous bone pin and/or suture removal procedures. Design: Randomised clinical trial using two parallel groups: (1) virtual reality or (2) tablet game. Methods: Three-center, randomised pragmatic clinical trial, using a parallel design with two groups (experimental group: immersive virtual reality; active comparator: tablet games). Children aged 6–17 requiring percutaneous pins and/or sutures were recruited between 2020 and 2022 from three outpatient orthopaedic clinics in paediatric hospitals. Pain was measured with the Numerical Rating Scale and anxiety with the Child Fear Scale before and immediately after the procedure. Results: A total of 188 participants were assigned to either the virtual reality group (96 participants) or the tablet group (92 participants). At the first assessment, there was no noticeable difference between the two groups in terms of pain or anxiety levels. However, further analysis revealed that participants aged 13 and older in the virtual reality group experienced significantly lower anxiety. Conclusion: Virtual reality was not more efficacious than games on a tablet for pain and anxiety of children undergoing removal of bone pins or sutures. However, virtual reality demonstrated a benefit in reducing anxiety for teenagers, particularly those aged 13-older. Implication for the Professional and/or Patient Care: Virtual reality games provide an immersive, non-pharmacological alternative of for anxiety management of teenagers during pins and/or sutures removal. Impact: This study showed that a virtual reality game may help reduce anxiety during pins and/or sutures removal procedures in patients aged 13 years and older. Reporting Method: We adhered to the CONSORT checklist for reporting results. Patient or Public Contribution: A patient partner reviewed the study design, methods and final manuscript. Trial Registration: NCT03680625. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.},
keywords = {Adolescent, analgesia, Anxiety, Bone Nails, Child, Children, clinical trial, comparative study, controlled study, female, human, Humans, intramedullary nailing, male, multicenter study, Pain Management, procedural pain, procedures, randomized controlled trial, Therapy, video game, Video Games, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Delangle, M.; Moïse-Richard, A.; Leclercq, A. -L.; Labbé, D.; Bouchard, S.; Andrews, S.; Ménard, L.
Speaking face-to-face with a virtual avatar to reduce anxiety in students who stutter: Tool development and pilot study results Journal Article
In: Journal of Fluency Disorders, vol. 87, 2026, ISSN: 0094730X (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Anxiety, Arousal, article, Avatar, avoidance behavior, Canada, Child, clinical article, cognitive behavioral therapy, complication, controlled study, distance learning, ecological validity, electrocardiogram, electrodermal response, exposure, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, Humans, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Likert scale, male, nonverbal communication, physiological stress, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, psychology, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, role playing, School-age children, Self Concept, Self Efficacy, self report, Signal processing, skin conductance, social anxiety, speech, student, Students, Stuttering, Therapy, treatment outcome, virtual reality, virtual reality exposure therapy
@article{delangle_speaking_2026,
title = {Speaking face-to-face with a virtual avatar to reduce anxiety in students who stutter: Tool development and pilot study results},
author = {M. Delangle and A. Moïse-Richard and A. -L. Leclercq and D. Labbé and S. Bouchard and S. Andrews and L. Ménard},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105028302364&doi=10.1016%2Fj.jfludis.2026.106194&partnerID=40&md5=af0d246f9187ee19796f36456887400b},
doi = {10.1016/j.jfludis.2026.106194},
issn = {0094730X (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Fluency Disorders},
volume = {87},
abstract = {Purpose Speaking in class is challenging for students who stutter. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure in virtual reality (VR) emerges as a promising intervention for treating speaking anxiety in pediatric populations. This pilot study tested if real-time avatar-based VR can elicit anxiety responses while remaining acceptable to youth who stutter. Method Twelve students who stutter (aged 9–18) were randomly assigned to a single training session conducted either (1) in VR with a realistic avatar controlled live by their SLP, or (2) in role-play with their SLP, before facing a real actor. We assessed system acceptability, anxiety levels and perceived self-efficacy. Results The VR system was well accepted and elicited physiological arousal comparable to real-life interactions. Although participants reported experiencing less anxiety during VR, skin conductance level showed higher arousal; suggesting a divergence between the subjective report and physiological response. Finally, one training session (either in VR or with the SLP) did not produce gains in self-efficacy or decrease in anxiety related to the final real-actor conversation. Conclusion This study demonstrates evidence that the potential use of immersive VR could represent an acceptable and viable complementary strategy for SLP treatment, that could control exposure parameters while evoking physiological responses similar to real-life contexts. The differences between subjective and physiological measures suggest that VR is inducing anxiety responses differently than it was perceived. Further research could investigate the use of VR as anxiety interventions for students who stutter and should be explored across multi-session studies to understand their therapeutic effect. © 2026 The Authors.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Anxiety, Arousal, article, Avatar, avoidance behavior, Canada, Child, clinical article, cognitive behavioral therapy, complication, controlled study, distance learning, ecological validity, electrocardiogram, electrodermal response, exposure, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, Humans, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Likert scale, male, nonverbal communication, physiological stress, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, psychology, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, role playing, School-age children, Self Concept, Self Efficacy, self report, Signal processing, skin conductance, social anxiety, speech, student, Students, Stuttering, Therapy, treatment outcome, virtual reality, virtual reality exposure therapy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Gingras, F.; Fiset, D.; Plouffe-Demers, M. -P.; Estéphan, A.; N’Guiamba, M.; Sun, D.; Zhang, Y.; Blais, C.
Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli Journal Article
In: Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, vol. 33, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 10699384 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult
@article{gingras_cultural_2026,
title = {Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli},
author = {F. Gingras and D. Fiset and M. -P. Plouffe-Demers and A. Estéphan and M. N’Guiamba and D. Sun and Y. Zhang and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105025378146&doi=10.3758%2Fs13423-025-02832-0&partnerID=40&md5=43840b8cfa4c2df54e647f03a452f8e5},
doi = {10.3758/s13423-025-02832-0},
issn = {10699384 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Psychonomic Bulletin and Review},
volume = {33},
number = {1},
abstract = {Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Guingo, E.; Debeurme, M. H.; Santos, R. P.; Addab, S.; Rainville, P.; Bouchard, S.; Chougui, K.; Tsimicalis, A.; Nault, M. -L.; Ducruet, T.; Ledjiar, O.; Noel, M.; St-Arneault, K.; Cotes-Turpin, C.; Hung, N.; Ouimet, P.; Parent, S.; Gardner, J.; Bernstein, M.; May, S. Le
Efficacy of Virtual Reality vs. Tablet Games for Pain and Anxiety in Children Undergoing Bone Pins Removal: Randomised Clinical Trial Journal Article
In: Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 1791–1802, 2026, ISSN: 03092402 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, analgesia, Anxiety, Bone Nails, Child, Children, clinical trial, comparative study, controlled study, female, human, Humans, intramedullary nailing, male, multicenter study, Pain Management, procedural pain, procedures, randomized controlled trial, Therapy, video game, Video Games, virtual reality
@article{guingoEfficacyVirtualReality2026,
title = {Efficacy of Virtual Reality vs. Tablet Games for Pain and Anxiety in Children Undergoing Bone Pins Removal: Randomised Clinical Trial},
author = {E. Guingo and M. H. Debeurme and R. P. Santos and S. Addab and P. Rainville and S. Bouchard and K. Chougui and A. Tsimicalis and M. -L. Nault and T. Ducruet and O. Ledjiar and M. Noel and K. St-Arneault and C. Cotes-Turpin and N. Hung and P. Ouimet and S. Parent and J. Gardner and M. Bernstein and S. Le May},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105004216228?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.1111/jan.16991},
issn = {03092402 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Advanced Nursing},
volume = {82},
number = {2},
pages = {1791–1802},
publisher = {John Wiley and Sons Inc},
abstract = {Aims: To verify the efficacy of virtual reality compared to tablet games for pain and anxiety management in children undergoing percutaneous bone pin and/or suture removal procedures. Design: Randomised clinical trial using two parallel groups: (1) virtual reality or (2) tablet game. Methods: Three-center, randomised pragmatic clinical trial, using a parallel design with two groups (experimental group: immersive virtual reality; active comparator: tablet games). Children aged 6–17 requiring percutaneous pins and/or sutures were recruited between 2020 and 2022 from three outpatient orthopaedic clinics in paediatric hospitals. Pain was measured with the Numerical Rating Scale and anxiety with the Child Fear Scale before and immediately after the procedure. Results: A total of 188 participants were assigned to either the virtual reality group (96 participants) or the tablet group (92 participants). At the first assessment, there was no noticeable difference between the two groups in terms of pain or anxiety levels. However, further analysis revealed that participants aged 13 and older in the virtual reality group experienced significantly lower anxiety. Conclusion: Virtual reality was not more efficacious than games on a tablet for pain and anxiety of children undergoing removal of bone pins or sutures. However, virtual reality demonstrated a benefit in reducing anxiety for teenagers, particularly those aged 13-older. Implication for the Professional and/or Patient Care: Virtual reality games provide an immersive, non-pharmacological alternative of for anxiety management of teenagers during pins and/or sutures removal. Impact: This study showed that a virtual reality game may help reduce anxiety during pins and/or sutures removal procedures in patients aged 13 years and older. Reporting Method: We adhered to the CONSORT checklist for reporting results. Patient or Public Contribution: A patient partner reviewed the study design, methods and final manuscript. Trial Registration: NCT03680625. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.},
keywords = {Adolescent, analgesia, Anxiety, Bone Nails, Child, Children, clinical trial, comparative study, controlled study, female, human, Humans, intramedullary nailing, male, multicenter study, Pain Management, procedural pain, procedures, randomized controlled trial, Therapy, video game, Video Games, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Gingras, F.; Fiset, D.; Plouffe-Demers, M. -P.; Estéphan, A.; N’Guiamba, M.; Sun, D.; Zhang, Y.; Blais, C.
Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli Journal Article
In: Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, vol. 33, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 10699384 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult
@article{gingrasCulturalDifferencesSpatial2026,
title = {Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli},
author = {F. Gingras and D. Fiset and M. -P. Plouffe-Demers and A. Estéphan and M. N’Guiamba and D. Sun and Y. Zhang and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025378146?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.3758/s13423-025-02832-0},
issn = {10699384 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Psychonomic Bulletin and Review},
volume = {33},
number = {1},
publisher = {Springer},
abstract = {Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Ledrou-Paquet, V.; Fiset, D.; Carré, M.; Guérette, J.; Blais, C.
The facial information underlying economic decision-making Journal Article
In: Perception, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 243–265, 2026, ISSN: 03010066 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Bubbles, decision making, face evaluation, face perception, Facial Expression, Facial Recognition, facial trustworthiness, female, human, Humans, Judgment, male, perception, physiology, psychology, Social Perception, Trust, trust game, trustworthiness, Young Adult
@article{ledrou-paquetFacialInformationUnderlying2026,
title = {The facial information underlying economic decision-making},
author = {V. Ledrou-Paquet and D. Fiset and M. Carré and J. Guérette and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020458633?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.1177/03010066251387848},
issn = {03010066 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Perception},
volume = {55},
number = {3},
pages = {243–265},
publisher = {SAGE Publications Ltd},
abstract = {Faces are rapidly and automatically assessed on multiple social dimensions, including trustworthiness. The high inter-rater agreement on this social judgment suggests a systematic association between facial appearance and perceived trustworthiness. The facial information used by observers during explicit trustworthiness judgments has been studied before. However, it remains unknown whether the same perceptual strategies are used during decisions that involve trusting another individual, without necessitating an explicit trustworthiness judgment. To explore this, 53 participants completed the Trust Game, an economic decision task, while facial information was randomly sampled using the Bubbles method. Our results show that economic decisions based on facial cues rely on similar visual information as that used during explicit trustworthiness judgments. We then manipulated facial features identified as diagnostic for trust to test their influence on perceived trustworthiness (Experiment 2) and on trust-related behaviors (Experiment 3). Across all experiments, subtle, targeted changes to facial features systematically shifted both impressions and monetary trust decisions. These findings demonstrate that the same perceptual strategies underlie explicit judgments and trust behaviors, highlighting the applied relevance of even minimal alterations in facial appearance. These findings should be replicated with real faces from diverse demographic backgrounds to confirm their generalizability. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Bubbles, decision making, face evaluation, face perception, Facial Expression, Facial Recognition, facial trustworthiness, female, human, Humans, Judgment, male, perception, physiology, psychology, Social Perception, Trust, trust game, trustworthiness, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Delangle, M.; Moïse-Richard, A.; Leclercq, A. -L.; Labbé, D.; Bouchard, S.; Andrews, S.; Ménard, L.
Speaking face-to-face with a virtual avatar to reduce anxiety in students who stutter: Tool development and pilot study results Journal Article
In: Journal of Fluency Disorders, vol. 87, 2026, ISSN: 0094730X (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Anxiety, Arousal, article, Avatar, avoidance behavior, Canada, Child, clinical article, cognitive behavioral therapy, complication, controlled study, distance learning, ecological validity, electrocardiogram, electrodermal response, exposure, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, Humans, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Likert scale, male, nonverbal communication, physiological stress, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, psychology, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, role playing, School-age children, Self Concept, Self Efficacy, self report, Signal processing, skin conductance, social anxiety, speech, student, Students, Stuttering, Therapy, treatment outcome, virtual reality, virtual reality exposure therapy
@article{delangleSpeakingFacetofaceVirtual2026,
title = {Speaking face-to-face with a virtual avatar to reduce anxiety in students who stutter: Tool development and pilot study results},
author = {M. Delangle and A. Moïse-Richard and A. -L. Leclercq and D. Labbé and S. Bouchard and S. Andrews and L. Ménard},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105028302364?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.1016/j.jfludis.2026.106194},
issn = {0094730X (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Fluency Disorders},
volume = {87},
publisher = {Elsevier Inc.},
abstract = {Purpose Speaking in class is challenging for students who stutter. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure in virtual reality (VR) emerges as a promising intervention for treating speaking anxiety in pediatric populations. This pilot study tested if real-time avatar-based VR can elicit anxiety responses while remaining acceptable to youth who stutter. Method Twelve students who stutter (aged 9–18) were randomly assigned to a single training session conducted either (1) in VR with a realistic avatar controlled live by their SLP, or (2) in role-play with their SLP, before facing a real actor. We assessed system acceptability, anxiety levels and perceived self-efficacy. Results The VR system was well accepted and elicited physiological arousal comparable to real-life interactions. Although participants reported experiencing less anxiety during VR, skin conductance level showed higher arousal; suggesting a divergence between the subjective report and physiological response. Finally, one training session (either in VR or with the SLP) did not produce gains in self-efficacy or decrease in anxiety related to the final real-actor conversation. Conclusion This study demonstrates evidence that the potential use of immersive VR could represent an acceptable and viable complementary strategy for SLP treatment, that could control exposure parameters while evoking physiological responses similar to real-life contexts. The differences between subjective and physiological measures suggest that VR is inducing anxiety responses differently than it was perceived. Further research could investigate the use of VR as anxiety interventions for students who stutter and should be explored across multi-session studies to understand their therapeutic effect. © 2026 The Authors.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Anxiety, Arousal, article, Avatar, avoidance behavior, Canada, Child, clinical article, cognitive behavioral therapy, complication, controlled study, distance learning, ecological validity, electrocardiogram, electrodermal response, exposure, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, Humans, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Likert scale, male, nonverbal communication, physiological stress, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, psychology, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, role playing, School-age children, Self Concept, Self Efficacy, self report, Signal processing, skin conductance, social anxiety, speech, student, Students, Stuttering, Therapy, treatment outcome, virtual reality, virtual reality exposure therapy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Delangle, M.; Moïse-Richard, A.; Leclercq, A. -L.; Labbé, D.; Bouchard, S.; Andrews, S.; Ménard, L.
Speaking face-to-face with a virtual avatar to reduce anxiety in students who stutter: Tool development and pilot study results Journal Article
In: Journal of Fluency Disorders, vol. 87, 2026, ISSN: 0094730X (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Anxiety, Arousal, article, Avatar, avoidance behavior, Canada, Child, clinical article, cognitive behavioral therapy, complication, controlled study, distance learning, ecological validity, electrocardiogram, electrodermal response, exposure, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, Humans, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Likert scale, male, nonverbal communication, physiological stress, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, psychology, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, role playing, School-age children, Self Concept, Self Efficacy, self report, Signal processing, skin conductance, social anxiety, speech, student, Students, Stuttering, Therapy, treatment outcome, virtual reality, virtual reality exposure therapy
@article{delangleSpeakingFacetofaceVirtual2026a,
title = {Speaking face-to-face with a virtual avatar to reduce anxiety in students who stutter: Tool development and pilot study results},
author = {M. Delangle and A. Moïse-Richard and A. -L. Leclercq and D. Labbé and S. Bouchard and S. Andrews and L. Ménard},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105028302364&doi=10.1016%2Fj.jfludis.2026.106194&partnerID=40&md5=af0d246f9187ee19796f36456887400b},
doi = {10.1016/j.jfludis.2026.106194},
issn = {0094730X (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Fluency Disorders},
volume = {87},
abstract = {Purpose Speaking in class is challenging for students who stutter. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure in virtual reality (VR) emerges as a promising intervention for treating speaking anxiety in pediatric populations. This pilot study tested if real-time avatar-based VR can elicit anxiety responses while remaining acceptable to youth who stutter. Method Twelve students who stutter (aged 9–18) were randomly assigned to a single training session conducted either (1) in VR with a realistic avatar controlled live by their SLP, or (2) in role-play with their SLP, before facing a real actor. We assessed system acceptability, anxiety levels and perceived self-efficacy. Results The VR system was well accepted and elicited physiological arousal comparable to real-life interactions. Although participants reported experiencing less anxiety during VR, skin conductance level showed higher arousal; suggesting a divergence between the subjective report and physiological response. Finally, one training session (either in VR or with the SLP) did not produce gains in self-efficacy or decrease in anxiety related to the final real-actor conversation. Conclusion This study demonstrates evidence that the potential use of immersive VR could represent an acceptable and viable complementary strategy for SLP treatment, that could control exposure parameters while evoking physiological responses similar to real-life contexts. The differences between subjective and physiological measures suggest that VR is inducing anxiety responses differently than it was perceived. Further research could investigate the use of VR as anxiety interventions for students who stutter and should be explored across multi-session studies to understand their therapeutic effect. © 2026 The Authors.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Anxiety, Arousal, article, Avatar, avoidance behavior, Canada, Child, clinical article, cognitive behavioral therapy, complication, controlled study, distance learning, ecological validity, electrocardiogram, electrodermal response, exposure, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, Humans, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Likert scale, male, nonverbal communication, physiological stress, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, psychology, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, role playing, School-age children, Self Concept, Self Efficacy, self report, Signal processing, skin conductance, social anxiety, speech, student, Students, Stuttering, Therapy, treatment outcome, virtual reality, virtual reality exposure therapy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Guingo, E.; Debeurme, M. H.; Santos, R. P.; Addab, S.; Rainville, P.; Bouchard, S.; Chougui, K.; Tsimicalis, A.; Nault, M. -L.; Ducruet, T.; Ledjiar, O.; Noel, M.; St-Arneault, K.; Cotes-Turpin, C.; Hung, N.; Ouimet, P.; Parent, S.; Gardner, J.; Bernstein, M.; May, S. Le
Efficacy of Virtual Reality vs. Tablet Games for Pain and Anxiety in Children Undergoing Bone Pins Removal: Randomised Clinical Trial Journal Article
In: Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 1791–1802, 2026, ISSN: 03092402 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, analgesia, Anxiety, Bone Nails, Child, Children, clinical trial, comparative study, controlled study, female, human, Humans, intramedullary nailing, male, multicenter study, Pain Management, procedural pain, procedures, randomized controlled trial, Therapy, video game, Video Games, virtual reality
@article{guingoEfficacyVirtualReality2026a,
title = {Efficacy of Virtual Reality vs. Tablet Games for Pain and Anxiety in Children Undergoing Bone Pins Removal: Randomised Clinical Trial},
author = {E. Guingo and M. H. Debeurme and R. P. Santos and S. Addab and P. Rainville and S. Bouchard and K. Chougui and A. Tsimicalis and M. -L. Nault and T. Ducruet and O. Ledjiar and M. Noel and K. St-Arneault and C. Cotes-Turpin and N. Hung and P. Ouimet and S. Parent and J. Gardner and M. Bernstein and S. Le May},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105004216228&doi=10.1111%2Fjan.16991&partnerID=40&md5=9200a82b5c9572abcc5170e9c9d6142b},
doi = {10.1111/jan.16991},
issn = {03092402 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Advanced Nursing},
volume = {82},
number = {2},
pages = {1791–1802},
abstract = {Aims: To verify the efficacy of virtual reality compared to tablet games for pain and anxiety management in children undergoing percutaneous bone pin and/or suture removal procedures. Design: Randomised clinical trial using two parallel groups: (1) virtual reality or (2) tablet game. Methods: Three-center, randomised pragmatic clinical trial, using a parallel design with two groups (experimental group: immersive virtual reality; active comparator: tablet games). Children aged 6–17 requiring percutaneous pins and/or sutures were recruited between 2020 and 2022 from three outpatient orthopaedic clinics in paediatric hospitals. Pain was measured with the Numerical Rating Scale and anxiety with the Child Fear Scale before and immediately after the procedure. Results: A total of 188 participants were assigned to either the virtual reality group (96 participants) or the tablet group (92 participants). At the first assessment, there was no noticeable difference between the two groups in terms of pain or anxiety levels. However, further analysis revealed that participants aged 13 and older in the virtual reality group experienced significantly lower anxiety. Conclusion: Virtual reality was not more efficacious than games on a tablet for pain and anxiety of children undergoing removal of bone pins or sutures. However, virtual reality demonstrated a benefit in reducing anxiety for teenagers, particularly those aged 13-older. Implication for the Professional and/or Patient Care: Virtual reality games provide an immersive, non-pharmacological alternative of for anxiety management of teenagers during pins and/or sutures removal. Impact: This study showed that a virtual reality game may help reduce anxiety during pins and/or sutures removal procedures in patients aged 13 years and older. Reporting Method: We adhered to the CONSORT checklist for reporting results. Patient or Public Contribution: A patient partner reviewed the study design, methods and final manuscript. Trial Registration: NCT03680625. © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.},
keywords = {Adolescent, analgesia, Anxiety, Bone Nails, Child, Children, clinical trial, comparative study, controlled study, female, human, Humans, intramedullary nailing, male, multicenter study, Pain Management, procedural pain, procedures, randomized controlled trial, Therapy, video game, Video Games, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Gingras, F.; Fiset, D.; Plouffe-Demers, M. -P.; Estéphan, A.; N’Guiamba, M.; Sun, D.; Zhang, Y.; Blais, C.
Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli Journal Article
In: Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, vol. 33, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 10699384 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult
@article{gingrasCulturalDifferencesSpatial2026a,
title = {Cultural differences in spatial frequency tunings to faces do not generalize to visual scenes and object stimuli},
author = {F. Gingras and D. Fiset and M. -P. Plouffe-Demers and A. Estéphan and M. N’Guiamba and D. Sun and Y. Zhang and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105025378146&doi=10.3758%2Fs13423-025-02832-0&partnerID=40&md5=43840b8cfa4c2df54e647f03a452f8e5},
doi = {10.3758/s13423-025-02832-0},
issn = {10699384 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Psychonomic Bulletin and Review},
volume = {33},
number = {1},
abstract = {Previous research has identified cultural differences in visual perception, where East Asians focus more on global object structure and display a larger breadth of attention compared with Westerners. East Asians rely on lower spatial frequencies (SFs) compared to Westerners for face recognition, which may be linked to this. Investigating whether such differences extend to other high-level stimulus categories would clarify if SF tuning differences reflect more general or face specific cognitive processes. The present study compared the SF tunings of Canadians and Chinese during object (Exp. 1; N = 50) and scene (Exp. 3; N = 47) categorization. In both experiments, results did not indicate a significant difference between groups. In Experiment 3 (N = 128), we conducted an online replication of Experiment 1 while measuring the SF tunings of the same participants during face perception. Again, no significant difference between the groups was found during object categorization, but the finding that East Asians rely on lower SF than Westerners was replicated. Together, these results suggest that unique mechanisms may underlie the cultural differences in face processing, though alternative explanations, such as the feature consistency of faces, could also account for these findings. © The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2025.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Asian, Asian People, Canada, Caucasian, China, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Cross-cultural psychology, cultural factor, Depth Perception, Face processing, Facial Recognition, female, human, Humans, male, Object processing, Pattern Recognition, physiology, Scene processing, Space Perception, Spatial frequencies, Visual, visual pattern recognition, Visual Perception, White People, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}



