Does Gender Influence Presence in Virtual Environments? An Analysis of Open-Source Igroup Presence Questionnaire Data
Allison Bayro, Ting Dai, Heejin Jeong · 2022
Technological advances in virtual reality (VR) hardware and software resulted in unparalleled realism and an increased presence. Research has sought to quantify presence in VR through surveys like the igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ), which holistically evaluates presence in terms of spatial presence, involvement, and experienced realism. Existing studies indicate that individual traits, e.g., gender, greatly impact the presence formation. Despite previous research indicating a gender difference, these investigations are restricted by small sample sizes, conflicting results, and limited analysis techniques. This current work performs a secondary analysis of publicly available IPQ data to evaluate gender variations in perceived spatial presence, involvement, and experience realism. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on a random half of the sample to determine the dimensionality of variables, and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on the other half to evaluate and refine the measurement model. Finally, we performed a series of measurement invariance testing for evaluating differences in the measurement model by gender and compared the latent means of perceived spatial presence, involvement, and experienced realism between females and males. The results showed that males perceive spatial presence and involvement significantly stronger than females, however, no significant difference in the perceived experience realism was found. Findings in gender differences in spatial presence and involvement are likely to result from increased computer and gaming usage for males. The implication of this work suggests that gender disparities in perceived spatial presence and involvement may result in therapeutic and educational consequences. When using VR for rehabilitation, education, or training, it is crucial to remember that males may have a stronger sense of presence, resulting in varying emotional reactions.