Social Cognition In Immersive Media

Question 1

Presence theory

Answer 1

A psychological state im which the virtuality of an experience is unnoticed

Question 2

Telepresence

Answer 2

Phenomenon in which operators felt as though they are being transported to a remote location during the use of teleoperating systems

Question 3

3 subcomponents of presence

Answer 3

Physical - sense of being there or in another place: psychological state in which virtual physical objects are experienced as actual physical objects in either sensory or non sensory way

Social - sense of being with another: psychological state in which virtual social actors are experienced as actual social actors in either sensory or non sensory way

Self presence - sense of embodiment: psychological state in which virtual self are experienced as actual self in either sensory or non sensory ways

Question 4

Virtuality: para authentic vs artificial

Answer 4

Para authentic: based on real world objects or entities (eg Donald Trump or statue of liberty)

Artificial: imaginary objects or entities that do not exist in the real world (monsters and dragons)

Question 5

Assumptions of presence theory (3)

Answer 5

1 “The willing suspension of disbelief” of technology users might be the cause of a sense of presence People have a tendency to accept incoming information unless they are challenged by strong counterevidence, and this tendency may make people experience a sense of presence.

2 People rather have a tendency to unconsciously and naturally accept incoming virtual stimuli and concluded that automatic processing lies beneath a
sense of presence - The claim (i.e ., willing suspension of disbelief) has been rejected by recent
scholars because the term “willing suspension” connotes the use of conscious mental effort in
having a sense of presence.

3. “ modularity of human minds,” which is a concept originally developed under the framework of evolutionary psychology, might be the cause of a sense of presence - People evolutionarily have innate knowledge about how the physical world works (i.e., folk physics) and how others think, feel, and behave (i.e., folk psychology or theory of mind )―”the causal reasoning module” The causal reasoning module may make people automatically and naturally accept incoming stimuli, and this in turn may result in a sense of presence.

Question 6

Factors that influence the sense of presence - dimensions (3)

Answer 6

1. Media forms (e.g. image size and quality, audio fidelity, camera techniques)
2. Contents (e.g. physical and social realism)
3. Media users (e.g., willingness to suspend disbelief ; prior experience with the medium; age; gender)

Question 7

Factors that influence the sense of presence - factors (3)

Answer 7

1. Characteristics of technology (e.g. objective quality of technology)
2. Individual differences (e.g. age, gender, previous experience)
3. Social factors (social characteristics of technology)

Question 8

Technology factors influencing presence (11)

Answer 8

• Consistency of multimodal sensory information
• Equipment comfort and ease of navigation
• Fast response rates to user input
• Image resolution, color quality, clarity of image
• Image size or field of view
• Inclusion of sound in virtual environment
• Isolation of real environment
• Meaningful media content
• Modifiability of environment in virtual environment
• Number of sensory dimensions and channels presented and engaged
• Scene update rates

Question 9

User factors influencing presence (7)

Answer 9

• Adaptation and learning of system features, which is usually operationalized as time spent in virtual environments
• Experience and familiarity with technology
• Focused attention on (or involvement in) virtual environment
• Gender
• Mood, especially sensation seeking mood
• Perception of self movement in VE
• Perceived risk to the virtual self

Question 10

Effects of presence (7)

Answer 10

1. Arousal (Intensity of experience that determines the energy with which people react to media)
2. Mood
3. Memory
4. Persuasion
5. Psysiological side effects - VR (motion sickness, sensory disorientation, dizziness, eyestrain, headache etc)
6. Improved task performance and skill training
7. Psychological desensitization to exposed stimulus

Question 11

Embodiment

Answer 11

Embodiment
is a complex construct that is mainly comprised of three sub dimensions: the
sense of 1) self location, 2) agency, and 3) body ownership ( Kilteni et al., 2012).

Question 12

Perceived embodiment

Answer 12

The subjective experience of using and ‘having’ a body

Question 13

3 senses of embodiment

Answer 13

1. Sense of self-location - feeling of being there (first person POV)
2. Sense of Agency - feeling of being in control (of an avatar) - (natural movements of virtual bodies)
3. Sense of Body Ownership - feeling as though (an avatar) is the source of experienced sensations (self presence) - (human likeness)

Question 14

Application of embodiment (how embodiment is used and where)

Answer 14

1. Pain management
2. Physical exercising
3. Musician training

Question 15

Proteus effects in relation to embodiment

Answer 15

A phenomenon in which the behavior of an individual, within virtual worlds, is changed by the characteristics of their avatar.

This change is due to the individual’s knowledge about the behaviors that other users who are part of that virtual environment typically associate with those characteristics

> influenced by the avatars characteristcs

> the Proteus effect is particularly when individuals interact by using avatars. This effect is driven by the increased ability to control one ‘s appearance in an online virtual environment

Question 16

Psychological concepts of the proteus effect (2)

Answer 16

1 Behavioral confirmation: The effects that a perceiver’s actions can have on the resulting behavior of an individual

2 self perception theory: Individuals determine their attitudes and emotions by making observations about both their own behavior and the circumstances that led to those behaviors.