The Felt Realism of “Unreal” Environments: Testing a Dual Awareness Model of Subjective Realism

Abstract

In this paper, we empirically investigate VR users’ subjective experiences of realism. We conceptualise two operationally distinct processes: a top-down critical evaluation of realism and a bottom-up felt experience of realism. Study 1 investigated the latent factor structure of a measure of subjective realism responses to different virtual environments. Results indicated a three-factor structure: (i) felt realism – user’s feelings of realism, (ii) perceptual realism – evaluation of the realism of stimulus form or perceptual elements, and (iii) conceptual realism – evaluation of stimulus content or conceptual elements. Study 2 investigated the effect of two “objective realism” manipulations on the three “subjective realism” factors. We manipulated the visual quality and normality of the virtual setting. Results indicated that participants rated abnormal environments lower in perceptual realism and conceptual realism. However, the abnormal environments were reported higher in felt realism. The findings demonstrate the power of abnormal and “unreal” environments in inducing subjective realism for entertainment users. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this research was conducted using 360 video stimuli, future research should test these findings with full HMD VR.