Audition and the sense of presence in virtual environments

Abstract

Historical reports from suddenly deafened adults describing a sense of detachment from a world devoid of auditory input suggest that auditory cues may be crucial for achieving a sense of presence in virtual environments [R. H. Gilkey and J. M. Weisenberger, Presence 4, 357–363 (1995)]. However, factors other than acoustic fidelity can affect the perceived quality of a virtual auditory display. For example, Simpson et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 100, 2633(A) (1996)] showed that the sense of presence in virtual auditory environments was driven by characteristics of the real listening environment in which the virtual audio was heard. Specifically, when the virtual auditory environment matches the real listening environment, the listening experience is particularly compelling. However, it was not clear whether auditory or visual experience with the real room mediated this effect. This paper describes attempts to separate the impact of auditory and visual information on presence by systematically manipulating these cues in synthesized environments. Implications for design of virtual environments and spatialized auditory displays are considered. [Work supported by AFOSR and Ohio Board of Regents.]