ARVIPL Laboratory

The program at ARVIPL Laboratory is based on a three-tiered research organization that responds to three specific issues in forensic psychiatry.

This program is based on a three-tiered research organization:

1. Self-regulation and agency
2. Presence and design of virtual environments
3. Development of tools and transfer of knowledge

These topics respond to three issues in forensic psychiatry:

1. Dangerousness, impulsiveness, and psychopathy
2. Sexual deviancy
3. Psychotic disorders and schizophrenia

This research program falls under the responsibility of Patrice Renaud, PhD, and is based on a multidisciplinary approach that integrates—from a social perspective—psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, and multimedia software engineering.

To reach the ARVIPL Laboratory coordinator:

Phone: 514-648-8461, ext. 1576

Fax: 514-881-3701

Email: labo-realvirt.ippm@ssss.gouv.qc.ca

Violent behaviour, especially when associated with severe mental disorders, raises many questions. Among the issues raised by forensic psychology and psychiatry, the concepts of responsibility and criminal intent are indispensable in the application of these sciences. Over and above accountability, it is a question of how this behaviour is organized.

Behavioural regulation, whether it’s cognitive or emotional, plays a key role in the decision to act out violently in individuals with psychopathic or psychotic disorders as well as individuals who commit sexual offences. The team at ARVIPL Laboratory is made up of members with complementary specialties, enabling them to study self-regulation through various aspects. As well, technology available in the lab allows for the study of self-regulation in a virtual social environment, which helps us develop a better understanding of violent behaviour.

A sense of “presence” is defined as a psychological state or a subjective perception through which an individual yields to an illusion generated by virtual reality. One of the goals of the topic of “Presence and design of virtual environments” is to gain a better understanding of this presence, which is crucial if we are to develop more efficient and effective virtual reality applications for treating mental disorders.

The ARVIPL Laboratory’s philosophy of research and development rests on a model where 3D objects and interactive experiences are used from full immersion in a lab—in a safe and controlled environment—to being monitored in society, all via mobile apps.

The design process begins with the definition of researchers’ needs in order to support them in their work. Since these issues are intimately linked to the reality of user-patients at the Institut national de psychiatrie légale Philippe-Pinel, patients are consulted throughout the entire process.

The ARVIPL Laboratory aims to develop technology that can be applied to issues encountered in forensic psychiatry, as well as ensure the transfer of knowledge to clinical and academic environments. This transfer of knowledge is also present in the continuum of research-practice and will be oriented based on research, evaluation, and rehabilitation tools that are developed by the team and involve user-patients at the Institut national de psychiatrie légale Philippe-Pinel.

The ARVIPL Laboratory team has already developed software that generates custom-designed virtual characters. It is therefore possible to vary the parameters when designing virtual characters (morphology, textures, etc.).

A usable version via tablet is currently in development. When dealing with the importance of psychosocial dimensions in forensic psychiatry, this technology will enable us to carry out interventions that more accurately meet the needs of the Institut’s user-patients.

The team at ARVIPL Laboratory has also created a virtual Institut care unit (D2), which will enable us, among other things, to safely recreate specific life situations, observe reactions, and bring these into real-life situations. Other virtual reality projects are also in development. Selecting and promoting the most promising projects are also goals that fall under the development of tools and transfer of knowledge.

Under the guidance of Patrice Renaud, PhD, the ARVIPL Laboratory team is made up of experts from two distinct and complementary fields.

Patrice Renaud is trained in experimental psychology (psychopsychology), ergonomics, and clinical psychology (cognitive behavioural approach). His research is concerned with integrating the issue of human-machine interaction into questions related to clinical and fundamental psychology. His work over the last years has enabled him to create this program using the immersive technology found in virtual reality.

In his research, Patrice Renaud is one of the first to develop virtual-reality applications for forensic psychiatry. He is also a professor in the Department of Psychoeducation and Psychology at the Université du Québec en Outaouais, where he also coordinates the Cyberpsychology laboratory.

Coordinator:

Sarah-Michelle Neveu, MSc. Psy. Clin.
PhD student in Psychology. She coordinates the various research projects conducted at the ARVIPL Laboratory.

Multimedia engineer:
Tarik Boukhalfi, MSc. Eng.
Specialist in 3D production pipelines. He works on various projects at the virtual-reality lab, mainly on the development of 3D apps and content.

ARVIPL Laboratory collaborators generally fall into three key categories: institutional researchers, university researchers, and foreign researchers.

Institutional researchers

The ARVIPL Laboratory has been collaborating for years with institutional researchers—all psychiatrists at the Institut national de psychiatrie légale Philippe-Pinel—to conduct specific research projects. This invaluable collaboration gives us access to clinical populations that meet our projects’ objectives, while enabling us to transfer information obtained via our work.

University Researchers

This project also relies on the collaboration of researchers Jean Proulx and Jean-Pierre Guay, who teach Criminology at the Université de Montréal and are researchers at the Institut.

Foreign Researchers

• Claire Nee
• Zarah Vernham

Institutional

• Fondation Pinel
• Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation (anciennement MDEIE)
• Fonds de recherche Société et culture du Québec
• Fonds de recherche Nature et technologies du Québec
• Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
• Université du Québec en Outaouais
• Université de Montréal

Industrial

• BéhaVR Inc.