The search for instantaneous vection: An oscillating visual prime reduces vection onset latency

Abstract

Typically it takes up to 10 seconds or more to induce a visual illusion of self-motion (“vection”). However, for this vection to be most useful in virtual reality and vehicle simulation, it needs to be induced quickly, if not immediately. This study examined whether vection onset latency could be reduced towards zero using visual display manipulations alone. In the main experiments, visual self-motion simulations were presented to observers via either a large external display or a head-mounted display (HMD). Priming observers with visually simulated viewpoint oscillation for just ten seconds before the main self-motion display was found to markedly reduce vection onset latencies (and also increase ratings of vection strength) in both experiments. As in earlier studies, incorporating this simulated viewpoint oscillation into the self-motion displays themselves was also found to improve vection. Average onset latencies were reduced from 8-9s in the no oscillating control condition to as little as 4.6 s (for external displays) or 1.7 s (for HMDs) in the combined oscillation condition (when both the visual prime and the main self-motion display were oscillating). As these display manipulations did not appear to increase the likelihood or severity of motion sickness in the current study, they could possibly be used to enhance computer generated simulation experiences and training in the future, at no additional cost.

Self-Motion Versus Environmental-Motion Perception Following Rotational Vestibular Stimulation and Factors Modifying Them

“…Once one illusory motion perception, evoked by suprathreshold motion stimulus, occupies the brain's perceptual mechanism, it does so completely until the sensory afferentation is changed. The phenomenon vection [described in number of studies, e.g., recent ones (34, 35)] supports this hypothesis. Once one is in vection it is so powerful illusory perception that he cannot stop this illusory motion perception.…”

Cybersickness in Head-Mounted Displays Is Caused by Differences in the User's Virtual and Physical Head Pose

“…Consistent with the hypothesis, the findings of a number of VIMS and cybersickness studies appear to support these predictions (Hettinger et al, 1990;Flanagan et al, 2002;Smart et al, 2002;Bonato et al, 2004Bonato et al, , 2005Bonato et al, , 2008Diels et al, 2007;Palmisano et al, 2007;Nooij et al, 2017Nooij et al, , 2018Clifton and Palmisano, 2019;Risi and Palmisano, 2019). However, other studies have reported nonsignificant or negative relationships between vection and sickness Griffin, 2002, 2003;Lawson, 2005;Bonato et al, 2008;Ji et al, 2009;Chen et al, 2011;Golding et al, 2012;Keshavarz et al, 2014Keshavarz et al, , 2015Riecke and Jordan, 2015;Gavgani et al, 2017b;Palmisano et al, 2017Palmisano and Riecke, 2018;Kuiper et al, 2019;Teixeira and Palmisano, 2020). Nooij et al (2017) recently found that the relationship between vection strength and VIMS was stronger when it was examined within (as opposed across) participants.…”

Shift in lateralization during illusory self‐motion: EEG responses to visual flicker at 10 Hz and frequency‐specific modulation by tACS

“…In our set‐up, vection was elicited with relatively short stimulus duration of 5 s, whilst many previous experiments have employed longer durations e.g. 10 s and have found that vection becomes stronger with exposure duration (Palmisano & Riecke, ; Seno et al., ). The short vection onset latency may be due to the particular stimulus motion characteristics or the fact that participants were standing.…”