A relatively new technology being used to deliver academic lessons is immersive virtual reality (IVR). This study examined whether IVR is a more effective instructional medium than other multimedia, such as a video on a computer monitor. Additionally, this study explored the underlying affective and cognitive mechanisms of learning in an immersive environment. Participants viewed a history lesson in IVR or a 3D interactive video display on a desktop monitor. The results showed that participants who viewed the video lesson outperformed those who viewed the IVR lesson on transfer tests. The IVR lesson caused higher emotional arousal based on self-report and heart rate measures, and lower cognitive engagement based on electroencephalogram (EEG) measures. The results suggest that immersive environments may create excessive positive emotions, which distract form the necessary cognitive processing during the lesson, thereby harming performance on subsequent tests of learning outcomes.

沉浸式虚拟现实（IVR）是一种用于授课的相对较新的技术。这项研究检查了IVR是否比其他多媒体（例如计算机监视器上的视频）更有效的教学媒体。此外，本研究探索了沉浸式环境中学习的潜在情感和认知机制。参与者在IVR中观看了历史课程，或在台式机显示器上观看了3D交互式视频显示。结果表明，观看视频课程的学员在转学测试中的表现优于观看IVR课程的学员。IVR课程根据自我报告和心率测量值引起较高的情绪唤起，而根据脑电图（EEG）度量引起较低的认知参与。结果表明，沉浸式环境可能会产生过多的积极情绪，