Spatial Presence in Virtual Worlds as a Perceptual Emotion: An Expansion on Cognitive Feeling?

Abstract

Understanding learner's emotions within virtual worlds enables more effective learning solutions to be developed. Spatial presence as a 'feeling of being there' has a significant impact upon this effectiveness within immersive learning environments. This paper argues that spatial presence is a perceptual emotion and that such a view can be related to theories of affective emotion as a perception. It argues that existing models of spatial presence as cognitive feeling can be modified and related to perceptual theories of emotion such as Prinz's embodied appraisal theory and Deonna's perspectival view of emotion as perception. This supports the approach that spacial presence is better understood as an affective emotion. Applying embodied appraisal theory to the activation of motor areas and aspects of embodied cognition underlying Schubert's model highlights the perceptual nature of this emotion. Applying situated affordances and action potentials, as expressed in Deonna's model of emotion, as perception to frames of reference within a virtual world supports arguments for spatial presence as a perceptual emotion similar to Schubert's use of Wirth et al's model of spatial presence. This model may be useful when considering the learner scaffolding of games such as the Alice Civil Emergency game.