3-D: Short for three-dimensional. This term is an adjective for something that has features that can be described in three dimensions — height, width and length.
attention: The phenomenon of focusing mental resources on a specific object or event.
avatar: (in virtual reality) An electronic rendering of some image. It becomes the virtual form of some character (even a computer or game user) that will be moved and manipulated by a computer user. It can interact with its environment and other characters.
behavior: The way something, often a person or other organism, acts towards others, or conducts itself.
bullying: (v. to bully) A group of repeated behaviors that are mean-spirited. They can include teasing, spreading rumors about someone, saying hurtful things to someone and intentionally leaving someone out of groups or activities. Sometimes bullying can include attacks using violence (such as hitting), threats of violence, yelling at someone or abusing someone with violent language. Much bullying takes place in person. But it also may occur online, through emails or via text messages. Newer examples including making fake profiles of people on websites or posting embarrassing photos or videos on social media.
computer program: A set of instructions that a computer uses to perform some analysis or computation. The writing of these instructions is known as computer programming.
criminologist: An expert who woks in the research field that focuses on understanding crime and criminals.
develop: To emerge or to make come into being, either naturally or through human intervention, such as by manufacturing.
environment: The sum of all of the things that exist around some organism or the process and the condition those things create. Environment may refer to the weather and ecosystem in which some animal lives, or, perhaps, the temperature and humidity (or even the placement of things in the vicinity of an item of interest).
focus: (in behavior) To look or concentrate intently on some particular point or thing.
immersive: (in computing) An adjective for the experience of becoming a part of some computer-generated — and therefore imaginary — environment. This experience is usually produced by wearing a headset that provides three-dimensional displays (or nearly 3D imaging) that change as the user moves. In many cases, the user can choose the avatar (the way they look in the environment) and can seemingly walk through the environment. Often they can also reach out and interact with the environment as if it were real and you were truly a part of it.
online: (n.) On the internet. (adj.) A term for what can be found or accessed on the internet.
risk: The chance or mathematical likelihood that some bad thing might happen. For instance, exposure to radiation poses a risk of cancer. Or the hazard — or peril — itself. (For instance: Among cancer risks that the people faced were radiation and drinking water tainted with arsenic.)
social media: Digital media that allow people to connect with each other (often anonymously) and to share information. Examples include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp.
survey: To view, examine, measure or evaluate something, often land or broad aspects of a landscape. (with people) To ask questions that glean data on the opinions, practices (such as dining or sleeping habits), knowledge or skills of a broad range of people. Researchers select the number and types of people questioned in hopes that the answers these individuals give will be representative of others who are their age, belong to the same ethnic group or live in the same region. (n.) The list of questions that will be offered to glean those data.
vigilant: (n. vigilance) The act of being intensely observant and careful.
virtual reality: A three-dimensional simulation of the real world that seems very realistic and allows people to interact with it. To do so, people usually wear a special helmet or glasses with sensors.
