The Meaning of Presence. John Waterworth

Transcription

1 The Meaning of Presence John Waterworth

2 Questions What is presence? What isn t it? Is it real? Different from attention, emotion? How do you measure it? Presence and media What s important? What does it mean? What is its purpose?

3 Application Areas What is presence good for? VR and mental health Prevention, diagnosis and treatment Creativity Everyday and exceptional or specific What is the role of emotion? Education and engagement What is it bad for?

4 Interactive Media and Presence Presence as a focus on perception rather than conception e.g. postural responses, emotional reactions Presence as illusion of non-mediation beyond suspension of disbelief Presence as illusion of being elsewhere the defining characteristic of VR Importance of interactivity, modes of interaction, and media content

5 Presence as the Feeling of Being in an External World Animals need to attend to survive Core consciousness External versus internal worlds Thinking animals must tell the difference Presence feels different from absence Presence is not emotional engagement Presence depends on media form But also on meaning, which evokes emotion

6 An Objective Surrogate for Presence: Physiological Response Michael Meehan Computer Science Department, University of North Carolina The Virtual Pit post-experiment presence questionnaire human peripheral response (electrodermal activity and skin temperature) behavioral-presence scoring Measures correlated Presence fades with multiple exposures

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8 A simple psychology of presence

9 Perception vs Conception concrete vs abstract processing Both are simulations that help survival Make predictions, get modified Presence as perception Experienced as the world Includes unreflective social being Created/changes fast The perceptual world is public and shared Absence as conception Experienced in the head Includes self-consciousness The conceptual world is personal and not shared

10 Perception...?

11 ...or Imagination?

12 Perception in VR and in Reality The present world is our perceptual model Not our imaginal model

13 Measuring Presence Questionnaires Verbal or written responses Postural responses Body sway, muscular responses Physiological measures GSR, heart rate and rate variability EEG, etc? Brain imaging? Perceptual versus cognitive tests? cf imagery

14 Deer by D L (Rusty) Rust

15 Subjective Aspects-1 Immediate and concrete, not in need of interpretation More or less strong (levels) Presence is irrevocable a feeling, associated with perceptual processes Bodily, postural responses cannot be turned off even if we know it s not real

16 Subjective Aspects-2 The world is experienced as outside the body not in the head the experience is sharable with co-immersants Presence has effects that imagination doesn t this is why we are interested in presence why it is powerful in psychotherapy and the arts

17 Day World By David Modjeska

18 Dusk World

19 Night World

20 Hypertext

21 Three Dimensions of Experience: The Design Space for H-C(-H) Interaction Locus: Real --- Modelled World Perceptual Focus: Mental Conception <---> Direct Perception Conceptual Sensus: Conscious --- Unconscious Processing

22 Tent Production: the illusion of being LIGHT snow/ice MALE fire water FEMALE - silence/noise - conscious/unconscious - restful/restless earth DARK - Vivid visuals - 3D sound - Body sensors

23 2 Dimensions of Experience (Focus and Locus) four streams of consciousness Real World real Conception abstract 1 Modelled/Concrete 2 Real/Concrete 3 Modelled/Abstract 4 Real/Abstract concrete Perception virtual A Model + Level of consciousness (sensus)

24 2,5 2 1,5 Real-Concrete 1 Subjective Presence 0,5 0-0,5-1 -1,5 Virtual-Concrete Q 1 Q 2 Q 3 Q 4 Q 5 Q 6 Q 7 Q 8 Mean Camera 3D 3D Wired Words -2 Virtual-Abstract -2,5-3 Questions Real-Abstract

25 Presence 3D (Virtual-Concrete) Significant positive correlation 3,5 3 2,5 2 1,5 1 0, , ,5-2 Time

26 Three evolutionary layers of presence Proto-presence Sensori-motor coupling Proprioception Largely unconscious Core presence Vividness Perception of present Driver for feeling of presence Extended presence Emotional and/or Intellectual Engagement Meaning

27 Presence and Emotion Much research on the cognitive and environmental determinants of presence (cf presence definitions) Emotional responses seem to have a key role in judged presence, especially for some Virtual Reality (VR) applications Powerful in psychotherapeutic treatments: phobias, eating disorders, hyperchondria, etc.. Specific emotional determinants of presence have received less attention, along with potential of presence to produce specific emotions

28 How does presence relate to emotion? Clinical patients respond to VR as if real Presence produces emotional responses More presence more response More response more presence, but Too much emotion attention shift away Attention shift away lower presence Presence and emotions relate to homeostasis The main function of the mind? They are closely inter-related

29 The goal to study the relationships between presence and emotions. to develop "mood devices" able to induce different forms of mood change/ enhancement on both clinical and non clinical samples. to understand better the development of some psychopathological phenomena to develop new correcting experiences and knowledge. EU FET October March

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31 Anxious Park?

32 The User Populations users of mental health services anxiety disorders, depression, and so on users with acute restricted mobility designed experiences for hospital patients mood enhancement for the general population relaxation environments through TV or VR

33 The Central Role of Emotion meaning interactive mood device presence emotion feeling (mood) absence reflective thought constructing vital narratives

34 The Power of Presence Triggers bodily and emotional responses As in real world survival Cannot be mentally overridden Captures attention Real world has biological priority Royal road to emotional breakthrough Overcome social phobias, etc. Needs to be combined with absence For benefitial/creative outcomes

35 The Purpose of Presence To distinguish the internal from the external Presence is a feeling, not a thought Focus around core (perception) determines degree of presence Degree drives behaviour Cf. hunger

36 Altered and hyper-presence: the future meaning of presence Different sensory mappings Different senses Altered physics Social and physical safety Artistic, spiritual, cultural and therapeutic possibilities And dangers!

37 Reality and Virtuality Reality is virtual But imagined reality is not virtual reality Presence is important, because... VR is real.

38 Presence in Media excavating through the strata Conceptual Media novels, radio programmes, etc.. address extended consciousness reduce presence, unless... Perceptual Media photographs, paintings, cinema, etc.. address core consciousness Prioprioceptive Media immersive VR address proto consciousness and other layers

39 The Mental States of Presence Absence, Presence and Superpresence

40 Three Kinds of Superpresence 1. Digital Participation 2. Mediated Flow 3. Embodied Immersion Common Features: More than normal presence Narrow focus on what is externally present Loss of self-consciousness

41 1. The Mystique of Digital Participation (Presence 2002) Distributed VR Theatre: Incarnation of a Divine Being

42 Presence as Merging of Observer and Observed Presence as being in an external world Versus absence (in an internal world) Individual Presence Unity of world and immersant Co-presence (digital participation) Loss of self-consciousness

43 Presence and Participation Presence versus Absence (reflection) Out there (real or virtual) versus In here Presence as loss of self-consciousness Self-consciousness as reflection Merging of action and awareness (cf. Flow) Parallels with Participation Mystique Self with objects in world Self submerged with other(s) Social Presence as Performance

44 Incarnation of a Divine Being: Concept Inspired by ancient Greek theatre Design of scenes Chorus and chorus leader Provoking/involving the audience Distributed VR Interactive Theatre Audience drawn in as actors Actor participation via avatars

45 The chorus leader waiting for participants to enter the stage

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48 Fredrik & Marcus during performance Jonas W monitoring system backstage

49 The mystique of digital participation Presence as performance Actor/character become one Loss of self-consciousness The unity nature of presence Every user becomes a performer Merging of observer and world Real or virtual, social or individual The feeling of Being in a World Not limited to natural presence

50 2. Mediated Flow Csikszentmihalyi (1977, 1990, 1994) defined flow as an optimal state of consciousness characterized by a state of concentration so focused that it amounts to absolute absorption in an activity This mode is characterized by a narrowing of the focus of awareness, so that irrelevant perceptions and thoughts are filtered out; by loss of self-consciousness; by a responsiveness to clear goals and unambiguous feedback; and by a sense of control over the environment..

51 Mediated Flow Trevino & Webster (1992) suggest that mediated flow represents the extent to which: (a) the user perceives a sense of control over the computer interaction (b) the user perceives that his or her attention is focused on the interaction (c) the user's curiosity is aroused during the interaction (d) the user finds the interaction intrinsically interesting All three levels involved

52 3. Embodied Immersion bodily information navigation as psychofeedback Interest (the Tent) Emotions (Body Joystick) Perception (Reality Helmet)

53 How to maximise presence Engage all three layers in the present: Proprioception, perception, imagination Create environments where: What I do with my body affects what happens The virtualisation is perceptually satisfying Events happen which immediately interest me First person, direct, but sharable experience

54 Conclusions Three evolutionary layers of self affect presence: Proto (earliest), core and extended (latest) consciousness Presence involves attention to the present external environment Perception is the core of presence judgments Other layers may enhance or reduce presence Proto-layer is the most technologically demanding Conception often competes with presence Mental absence, attention on different internal world Maximal presences requires integration of layers Same informational focus, loss of self-consciousness Content is the key to integration