Presence as an emotional experience (original) (raw)

Presence or the sense of "being there" has been discussed in the literature as an essential, defining aspect of Virtual Reality (VR). The VR literature includes definitions rooted in behavioral response, signal detection theory, and philosophy, but has generally ignored the emotional aspects of experience. The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the concept of presence in terms of people's emotional engagement with reality and their environment. Emotions are an essential part of how people experience the world. Any theory of presence must take emotional factors into account. This thesis has implications about how research should be conducted to further our understanding of presence. Validated psychological techniques for assessing emotions by subjective report, behavioral observations, and facial analysis can all be applied to increase our understanding of virtual presence. Further understanding of the interaction between presence and emotional state will improve our understanding of the construct of presence as well as better inform us about how virtual environments can be applied in creating emotional effects or treating emotional disorders.