Sara Curran
My dissertation explored differences in Presence and Nature Connectedness in a 360-degree video environment, versus a computer generated environment created in Spatial.
The aim of the current project was to compare Virtual Reality (VR) simulation types for eliciting Presence and Nature Connectedness. A second aim was to explore the relationship between Presence and Nature Connectedness.
Statistical analysis was conducted in IBM SPSS Statistics. An independent t-test, Mann Whitney-U test and a Spearman's Correlation were conducted. A positive relationship was found between Presence and Nature Connectedness. Interestingly, no difference was found in Presence or Nature Connectedness across the two VR mediums. Furthermore, those with no previous VR use reported a higher sense of Presence than those who had used VR previously.
The aim of this study was to examine the difference between two Virtual Reality (VR) simulation types on sense of presence and nature connectedness. Due to the increase in urbanization, access to nature is becoming less available. As a result, it is vital to find alternatives for nature accessibility, and to further understand the role of presence in VR simulated nature. To examine this further, an experiment was conducted comparing the differences in nature connectedness and presence between a 360° video of nature (360-VR) and a computer-generated nature environment (CG-VR), both experienced through a head mounted display (HMD). The experiment employed a ‘between-subjects’ design, with 42 participants, mostly undergraduate/postgraduate students at the Institute of Art Design and Technology (IADT).
This study explored the relationship between presence and nature connectedness and found a positive correlation between the two. The results of this study indicate no difference in presence or nature connectedness across the VR environments. Limitations were discussed, including a limited timeframe. This study holds practical implications for VR developers and educators through highlighting alternative VR based methods to support nature accessibility.
I am a recent graduate of BSc Applied Psychology at IADT. I have a great passion for Psychology & UX Design. I completed my dissertation on Presence and Nature Connectedness in Virtual Reality.
