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Article History

Accepted: 29 June 2025

First Online: 16 July 2025

Declarations

:

: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV; P01_08_07_20).

: Participants provided written informed consent before taking part in the study.

: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

: The UPV managed biometric and behavioral data collected within virtual reality contexts by implementing rigorous data anonymization protocols, secure institutional storage, and strict access controls. All raw and processed data were stored on encrypted servers hosted by the university’s IT infrastructure. These systems comply with institutional cybersecurity standards. Participants were assigned unique ID codes upon consent. Their names or contact details were never linked directly to biometric/VR data files. Secure disposal procedures were employed after defined retention periods, complemented by regular security audits. This data governance strategy fully complied with GDPR standards, ensuring participant privacy and data integrity throughout the study. Additionally, we describe our sampling plan, all data exclusions, all manipulations, and all measures in the study, and we adhered to the journal’s methodological checklist. Due to their sensitive managerial role, participants were assured that raw data would remain confidential and would only be available upon request. Analysis code and research materials may be available upon request.