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Poster Session B: Wednesday, August 13, 1:00 – 4:00 pm, de Brug & E‑Hall

Memory of Navigation in Individuals with Varying Social Anxiety: A Virtual Reality EEG Study

Haiyan Wu¹, Xuanji Chen, Junyuan Zheng; ¹University of Macau

Presenter: Haiyan Wu

While social exploration and spatial navigation share overlapping cognitive processes, how social anxiety influences navigation behavior, memory, and neural activity in immersive VR environments with social feedback remains unclear. This study combines VR and EEG to examine how individuals with varying social anxiety levels navigate virtual spaces under socially rewarding (e.g., positive facial feedback) or punishing conditions. Participants searched for landmarks in VR while receiving token rewards/punishments and feedback from strangers. Analysis of navigation paths, curiosity, and anxiety revealed correlations, and EEG data showed improved memory performance over time. Notably, high socially anxious individuals displayed altered hippocampal-prefrontal connectivity and frontal alpha asymmetry during social threat exposure. These findings advance understanding of socio-spatial neural mechanisms and potential therapies for social anxiety.

Topic Area: Reward, Value & Social Decision Making

Extended Abstract: Full Text PDF