Presentation
Bridging Military Ethics Education and Operational Decision-Making Using Virtual Reality
SessionWednesday Poster Session
DescriptionThis pilot study investigates the effectiveness of integrating ethical instruction into immersive virtual reality (VR) training to enhance decision-making in high-stakes military contexts. Ethical decision-making in operational environments is complex, particularly under time pressure and uncertainty, yet current training methods often rely on passive, self-paced instruction with limited opportunities for realistic practice. To address this gap, the study evaluates whether brief ethical framing within a VR shooting simulation influences participant performance and perceived workload. Twelve undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to either a control condition or an ethical framing condition, in which they were explicitly instructed to engage only armed targets. Using a VR platform, participants completed tutorial, baseline, and intervention shooting tasks, followed by workload assessments using the NASA Task Load Index. Results from a between-subjects ANOVA revealed that participants in the ethical framing condition experienced significantly higher mental demand, effort, stress, and altered perceptions of task pace and success. These findings suggest that ethical considerations introduce measurable cognitive and emotional load during rapid decision-making. Ongoing analyses will examine behavioral outcomes and individual differences. Overall, the study highlights the potential of VR as a scalable, immersive tool for bridging the gap between theoretical ethics education and applied operational decision-making.
Event Type
Poster
TimeWednesday, October 21st5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
Location