10 An Investigation into Physiological Responses in Virtual Environments: An Objective Measurement of Presence
Brenda K. Wiederhold, Dong Pyo Jang, Mayumi Kaneda, Yair Lurie, I. Y. Kim, Sun Il Kim · 2003
Abstrac t. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between subjective ratings of presence and physiological responses to a virtual environment. To measure subjective presence, Immersion, Presence, and Realism questionnaires were used. As measures of physiological response, heart rate and skin resistance readings were acquired. Seventytwo participants (36.4±15.5 years of age) were presented with a virtual environment depicting an airplane flight. The results show a correlation between Presence Questionnaire scores and both heart rate and skin resistance: -0.232 (95% confidence), -0.306 (99% confidence) respectively. In the study, heart rate and skin resistance appeared to indicate the participant’s degree of immersion.