Four Ways of 'Being There': Combined Effects of Immersion and Pictorial Realism on the Sense of Presence in Virtual Environments

摘要

The effects of immersion and pictorial realism on the sense of presence in a projection based virtual reality system were investigated. Seventy-seven participants each experienced one of four settings with varied combinations of immersion and pictorial realism. Their sense of presence was measured using a post-exposure questionnaire developed by Schubert, Friedmann, and Regenbrecht (1999). It allows to differentiate between three presence facets (reality appraisal, involvement, and spatial presence). The results show significant effects of both immersion and pictorial realism on two of the presence facets. The influence of immersion proved to be dependent on the experienced degree of pictorial realism. Pictorial realism apparently partially disabled the effects of immersion on presence. Practical implications of these results for the design of virtual reality systems are proposed.