SHB: Small: Collaborative Research: Reducing Alcohol Use Among College Students Using Virtual Role Playing

该项目的主要目标是设计一种方法来应对大学生过度饮酒的挑战。尤其是，过渡到大学一年级是一个关键的年龄和人生阶段，在这个时期，大量饮酒的机会和同龄人的压力汇聚在一起，考验着健康和幸福感。具体地说，该项目假设，与仅在二级预防试验中基于网络的计划相比，在基于网络的必需在线酒精预防计划中增加角色扮演的机会将改善结果。所有参与者都接受中佛罗里达大学(UCF)AlcoholEdu要求的标准酒精预防计划。随机分配的参与者中有一半有机会通过角色扮演练习认知-行为技能。这些身临其境的练习课程真实地呈现了大学生在现实世界中面临的情况。有了这些技能和实践，预计他们将比那些没有这种经历的参与者更少过度饮酒。拟议治疗的一个独特方面是使用了基于虚拟角色的数字木偶的最先进的互动角色扮演体验。在这里，数字木偶指的是使用人来实时控制动画角色的动作。几十年来，这种艺术性已经被用于包括电视和基于位置的娱乐在内的许多场所。数字木偶目前被其中一家私人投资机构用于教育和抵抗同龄人压力的项目。通过提供自然和高度多样化的行为，木偶极大地增加了互动性和沉浸感，同时为角色的外观和特征以及互动场景的选择提供了灵活性。在大学生中评估这种酒精二级预防技术是该领域的一项进步。具体地说，它允许调查一对一虚拟角色扮演(例如，大学生可以练习拒绝加入饮酒游戏的派对场景)是否可以帮助学生避免困难的同伴压力情况。这可能为加强和补充目前用于酒精二级预防的计划提供一种新的方法。

The project's main objective is devising a means to meet the challenge of excessive alcohol use by college students. The transition to the first year of college, in particular, is a critical age and life period when health and wellbeing are put to the test by the convergence of opportunity and peer pressure to drink heavily. Specifically, the project hypothesizes that adding the opportunity for role play in a web-based required online alcohol prevention program will improve the results compared to the web-based program only in a secondary prevention trial. All participants receive the standard alcohol prevention program required at the University of Central Florida (UCF), AlcoholEdu. Half of the randomly assigned participants have the opportunity to practice cognitive-behavioral skills through role plays. These immersive practice sessions are realistic in presenting situations that college students face in the real world. Armed with these skills and practice it is expected they will engage in less excessive alcohol use than those participants lacking this experience.A unique aspect of the proposed treatment is the use of a state-of-the-art interactive role play experience based on digital puppetry of virtual characters. Here, digital puppetry refers to the use of a human to control the actions of animated characters in real-time. Such artistry has been employed for several decades in a number of venues including television and location-based entertainment. Digital puppetry is currently employed by one of the PIs in education and peer-pressure resistance programs. By affording natural and highly versatile behaviors, puppetry greatly increases interactivity and immersion while affording flexibility in the appearance and traits of the characters and choices for the interactive scenes.An evaluation of this type of alcohol secondary prevention technique with college students is an advance in the field. Specifically, it allows the investigation of whether one-on-one virtual role-plays (e.g., a party scene in which college students can practice refusing to join a drinking game) can help students avoid difficult peer pressure situations. It could provide a new method to enhance and complement the programs currently used for alcohol secondary prevention.