New paper: Complex dynamical systems analysis as a potential measure for presence.

Abstract

The practical value of virtual reality applications appears to be linked to the user’s subjective sense of being in a virtual space, also called presence. Here we examine using the framework of complex dynamical systems analysis to continuously and objectively assess presence without the need for additional hardware by assessing different subcomponents of presence. Two experiments were conducted, where participants played a game that involved tossing colorful balls into designated baskets. In the first experiment, changes and differences in baselines in the subcomponent of coherence were assessed. In a second experiment, next to baseline coherence, baseline immersion was manipulated. The second experiment compared the method’s ability to respond to temporary changes with a continuous and subjective self-report method. In both experiments, a mixed model design was applied to assess the within-subject effect of temporary changes and the between-subject effect of baseline differences. Results of the first experiment showed that the method successfully responded to temporary changes and measured baseline differences in presence via its subcomponent coherence. Results of the second experiment showed differences between conditions with different levels of coherence and immersion but also demonstrated that both subcomponents had a similarly strong effect on the outcome measure. The subjective method was only partially able to predict the within-subject and between-subject effects. In an attempt to propose a new framework that addresses the lack of continuous and objective measures, complex dynamical systems analysis demonstrates a promising ability to provide a solution but requires validation in additional scenarios.

Harris, J., Van Den Berg, J., Cox, R. F., Van Der Stigchel, S., & Nijboer, T. C. W. (2025). Complex dynamical systems analysis as a potential measure for presence. PRESENCE Virtual and Augmented Reality, 1–75. https://doi.org/10.1162/pres.a.10