Psychophysiological perspective on presence: The implications of mediated environments on relationships, behavioral health and social construction.

Abstract

As technologies are increasingly being used to deliver educational curricula and health care services, presence becomes an essential construct for psychologists to assimilate. Presence, or the sense of "being there" in a mediated environment, has implications for the development of new behavioral health interventions; improved approaches for performance and education; and, for the promotion of new strategies for healthier lifestyles. Understanding the essential components of presence may allow us new insights into interpersonal relationships, improved communications, more effective conflict resolution strategies, and in determining how to better teach compassion, empathy, and prosocial behavior. This article discusses the general construct of presence, defines psychophysiological determinants of presence, addresses the quantification of presence, describes "optimal" presence, and presents future directions for research and clinical applications.

How Avatar Customizability Affects Children's Arousal and Subjective Presence During Junk Food–Sponsored Online Video Games

“…Much research has been dedicated to exploring the measurement of presence. Psychophysiological measures have been suggested as online measures of presence, 29 but the results of this study do not support their use without other corroborative measures. The measurement of emotional reaction to media can be quite problematic, just as the measurement of an internal psychological state, such as presence, …”

“…Though most researchers accept that media can induce physiological, emotional, and behavioral changes in individuals, 29 the specific effects of presence on each of these systems are less clear. The conceptual definitions of presence outlined previously are derived from the idea that presence is not only a mediated experience but also a psychological mechanism.…”

“…The conceptual definitions of presence outlined previously are derived from the idea that presence is not only a mediated experience but also a psychological mechanism. [29][30] The division of attentional resources, with some of those resources being directed toward external stimulation, creates normal levels of presence, those experienced in our everyday realities. 30 Thus, physiological effects induced by experiences in reality might mirror, to some extent, the physiological effects of a virtual recreation of such experiences as a covariate of experienced presence.…”

Psychophysiology to Assess Impact of Varying Levels of Simulation Fidelity in a Threat Environment

“…As such, researchers may study the impact of VEs on participants by looking at the psychophysiological responses of participants to their surroundings [6,39,40]. The recording of psychophysiological variables while participants operate within VEs has produced useful results in studies examining presence and immersion [41][42][43][44]. As such, the VE assets that allow for precise stimulus delivery within ecologically enhanced scenarios appears well matched for this research.…”

Neurocognitive and Psychophysiological Interfaces for Adaptive Virtual Environments

“…As such, researchers may study presence by looking at the psychophysiological responses of users to their surroundings and their ability to actively modify those surroundings (Flach & Holden, 1998;Meehan, et al, 2002;Pugnetti et al, 2001). The recording of psychophysiological variables while participants operate within virtual environments has produced useful results in studies examining immersion and presence (Jerome & Jordan, 2007;Macedonio et al, 2007;Parsons et al, 2009b;Wiederhold & Rizzo, 2005). As such, the VR assets that allow for precise stimulus delivery within ecologically enhanced scenarios appears well matched for this research.…”