A subjective study of the presence experience phenomenon

• Main Author: Nataliya V. Averbukh
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Lomonosov Moscow State University 2018-09-01
• Series: Nacionalʹnyj Psihologičeskij Žurnal
• Subjects: virtual reality; presence; presence factors; immersion; environmental presence; social presence; personal presence
• Online Access: http://npsyj.ru/pdf/npj-no31-2018/npj_no31_2018_069-089.pdf

Background. Presence phenomenon is aт important component of human interaction using virtual reality. Virtual reality is used actively in such spheres as Education, Research, Psychotherapy, Surgery, Entertainment and Games. The hidden part of the presence experience phenomenon deserves great interest. The researcher has to answer the following questions when conducting a research: 1. what exactly does the person experiencing the presence feel? 2. how much does a person «forget» about what is happening around them in the real world? 3. is it possible to simultaneously feel one’s presence in both worlds – real, where a person is physically present, and virtual, where a person is immersed by specific hardware and software that generate virtual reality? The Objective of the paper is to provide a description of the subjective presence experience, to show features of presence experience types. Design. The paper includes the review of modern research on the presence phenonmenon. The course of the study is described: conditions for experiencing the phenomenon of presence (e.g. virtual flight over the city) were designed to coincide with theoretical factors that enhance or weaken the experience of the phenomenon of presence. Following the first stage, the subjects were interviewed using structured interviews in order to systematize their subjective experience. The paper provides a qualitative analysis of the test subjects’ answers. The study involved 18 people, 5 males and 13 females aged 18 to 28 years. Results. The influence of factors contributing to the emergence of presence is reflected in the subjective experience, types of experiencing different types of presence (e.g. environmental, social, personal) were highlighted. The contradictory notions about the position of one’s body, the location of other people and other components of the phenomenon of presence are shown. Conclusion. The phenomenon of presence is a complex experience within which the perception of time, space, body, physical laws is distorted.