Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

The Fidelity-based Presence Scale (FPS): Modeling the Effects of Fidelity on Sense of Presence

Jacob Belga, Richard Skarbez, Yahya Hmaiti, Eric J. Chen, Ryan P. McMahan, Joseph J. LaViola

TL;DR

The paper tackles fragmentation in VR presence measurement by developing FPS, a Delphi-derived, fidelity-informed presence scale grounded in the system fidelity framework. It combines a consensus-driven Delphi study (n=16 experts) with a validation study (n=55) and exploratory factor analysis to yield a 10-item, three-factor instrument (Interaction Presence, Scenario Presence, Display Presence). The FPS enables attributing presence levels to specific fidelity components, enabling better design and cross-study comparisons. The authors discuss implications, limitations, and potential linkage to plausibility illusion, and provide open access to FPS materials.

Abstract

Within the virtual reality (VR) research community, there have been several efforts to develop questionnaires with the aim of better understanding the sense of presence. Despite having numerous surveys, the community does not have a questionnaire that informs which components of a VR application contributed to the sense of presence. Furthermore, previous literature notes the absence of consensus on which questionnaire or questions should be used. Therefore, we conducted a Delphi study, engaging presence experts to establish a consensus on the most important presence questions and their respective verbiage. We then conducted a validation study with an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The efforts between our two studies led to the creation of the Fidelity-based Presence Scale (FPS). With our consensus-driven approach and fidelity-based factoring, we hope the FPS will enable better communication within the research community and yield important future results regarding the relationship between VR system fidelity and presence.

The Fidelity-based Presence Scale (FPS): Modeling the Effects of Fidelity on Sense of Presence

TL;DR

The paper tackles fragmentation in VR presence measurement by developing FPS, a Delphi-derived, fidelity-informed presence scale grounded in the system fidelity framework. It combines a consensus-driven Delphi study (n=16 experts) with a validation study (n=55) and exploratory factor analysis to yield a 10-item, three-factor instrument (Interaction Presence, Scenario Presence, Display Presence). The FPS enables attributing presence levels to specific fidelity components, enabling better design and cross-study comparisons. The authors discuss implications, limitations, and potential linkage to plausibility illusion, and provide open access to FPS materials.

Abstract

Within the virtual reality (VR) research community, there have been several efforts to develop questionnaires with the aim of better understanding the sense of presence. Despite having numerous surveys, the community does not have a questionnaire that informs which components of a VR application contributed to the sense of presence. Furthermore, previous literature notes the absence of consensus on which questionnaire or questions should be used. Therefore, we conducted a Delphi study, engaging presence experts to establish a consensus on the most important presence questions and their respective verbiage. We then conducted a validation study with an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The efforts between our two studies led to the creation of the Fidelity-based Presence Scale (FPS). With our consensus-driven approach and fidelity-based factoring, we hope the FPS will enable better communication within the research community and yield important future results regarding the relationship between VR system fidelity and presence.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 35 sections, 5 figures, 6 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Work
  3. Past Presence Measurement Methods
  4. The Effects of Fidelity on Presence
  5. The Delphi Method
  6. Delphi Study Methods
  7. Participant Recruitment
  8. Delphi Survey Presentation
  9. Round 1
  10. Round 2
  11. Inclusion Criteria across Round 1 and Round 2
  12. Delphi Study Results
  13. Round 1 Consensus
  14. Round 2 Consensus
  15. Factor Analysis Validation Study
  16. ...and 20 more sections

Figures (5)

  • Figure 1: Summary of our Delphi process to create the Fidelity-based Presence Scale.
  • Figure 2: Round 1 summary of presence questionnaire items that met the inclusion criteria to be preserved in Round 2 of our Delphi study. Red indicates that those items were removed after Round 1 analysis. Blue indicates that those items were preserved after Round 1 and removed after Round 2. Green indicates the final items that comprise the FPS after the Delphi study.
  • Figure 3: How an item from the FPS was presented in the virtual environment. Each item is rated on a 7-point Likert scale with the anchors: "Fully disagree" and "Fully agree"
  • Figure 4: The mean Total Presence Scores across the 8 conditions of our validation study
  • Figure 5: The mean Interaction, Scenario, and Display Presence Scores between low and high fidelity conditions.