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In public safety training, stress is not a side effect; it is part of the curriculum. The hard question is how to introduce it at the right time, at the right intensity, in a way that improves decision-making without turning scenarios into predictable check-the-box drills.
A recent study from Texas State University’s ALERRT takes aim at a core debate by asking whether virtual reality can trigger the kind of acute-stress response officers feel in high-fidelity, in-person scenarios, and what that could mean for training quality, consistency and scale.
M. Hunter Martaindale is the director of research and an associate research professor at the ALERRT Center at Texas State University where he leads applied research on police performance, decision-making, and stress in high-risk environments. In this episode of Policing Matters, he breaks down his team’s study comparing biomarkers and self-reported stress in a high-fidelity active attacker scenario versus a VR version built to match the live scenario as closely as possible, and he explains what VR can and cannot replace in modern training.
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Tune in to hear
- Whether VR can trigger the same kind of stress spike officers feel in high-fidelity, live scenarios
- How ALERRT rebuilt an active attacker scenario in VR so the timing, audio, movement, and visual cues matched the real thing
- Why saliva-based biomarkers matter, and what they revealed five minutes after a 50-second scenario
- Where VR actually fits in police training and where it still falls short for hands-on skills
- What ALERRT is studying next to see if repeated VR exposure stays “stress inoculating” or starts feeling like a game
Key takeaways from this episode
Virtual reality can produce real physiological stress when the scenario is designed with enough realism. ALERRT’s study showed that officers experienced acute stress spikes in VR that closely mirrored those seen in a live, high-fidelity active attacker scenario, challenging the assumption that VR is inherently “low stress.”
Stress exposure does not require physical danger to be meaningful. By controlling sound, visual cues, pacing and uncertainty, VR scenarios were able to activate the body’s stress response even though participants knew they were not in real danger.
VR works best as a force multiplier, not a replacement for hands-on training. The research reinforces that VR excels at judgment, decision-making and cognitive load management, while physical skills like defensive tactics and medical interventions still require in-person practice.
Repeatable scenarios allow instructors to train decision-making instead of logistics. Because VR can be reset and modified in seconds, instructors can focus on coaching and adaptation rather than managing actors, props and space, giving officers more high-quality reps in less time.
The next challenge is sustaining stress over time, not creating it once. ALERRT is now studying stress habituation to determine whether repeated VR exposure continues to inoculate officers or gradually loses effectiveness, a question that will shape how VR is used long term in police training.
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