Virtual reality (VR) has potential applications for promoting physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional wellbeingfor users of all ages. The ability for individuals to develop a sense of being physically located in thevirtual environment, referred to as spatial presence, is often an essential component of successful VRapplications. Thus, it is necessary to understand the psychological aspects of the spatial presence processand identify methods of measuring presence formation and maintenance. This in-progress study addressesgaps in the spatial presence literature through an empirical evaluation of a conceptual model of spatialpresence, which emphasizes users’ characteristics and abilities. Age will serve as a proxy for changes in avariety of presence-relevant cognitive and perceptual abilities. The results will have implications for thedesign of VR systems and applications and for selecting individuals best-suited for these applications.
展开▼
