Visual attention for a desktop virtual environment with ambient scent

Alexander Toet,Martin G Van Schaik

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00883

Abstract

In the current study participants explored a desktop virtual environment (VE) representing a suburban neighborhood with signs of public disorder (neglect, vandalism, and crime), while being exposed to either room air (control group), or subliminal levels of tar (unpleasant; typically associated with burned or waste material) or freshly cut grass (pleasant; typically associated with natural or fresh material) ambient odor. They reported all signs of disorder they noticed during their walk together with their associated emotional response. Based on recent evidence that odors reflexively direct visual attention to (either semantically or affectively) congruent visual objects, we hypothesized that participants would notice more signs of disorder in the presence of ambient tar odor (since this odor may bias attention to unpleasant and negative features), and less signs of disorder in the presence of ambient grass odor (since this odor may bias visual attention toward the vegetation in the environment and away from the signs of disorder). Contrary to our expectations the results provide no indication that the presence of an ambient odor affected the participants’ visual attention for signs of disorder or their emotional response. However, the paradigm used in present study does not allow us to draw any conclusions in this respect. We conclude that a closer affective, semantic, or spatiotemporal link between the contents of a desktop VE and ambient scents may be required to effectively establish diagnostic associations that guide a user’s attention. In the absence of these direct links, ambient scent may be more diagnostic for the physical environment of the observer as a whole than for the particular items in that environment (or, in this case, items represented in the VE).

Highlights

Desktop virtual environments (VEs) are increasingly deployed to study future design plans and the possible effects of environmental qualities and interventions on human behavior and feelings of safety in built environments with signs of public disorder (Cozens et al, 2003; Park et al, 2008, 2010; Toet and van Schaik, 2012)
We found no indication that ambient smell of a given nature selectively biases visual attention to details in a desktop VE
It appears that ambient smell may only have limited effectiveness as a tool to direct a user’s attention to specific details in a desktop VE. This result is somewhat surprising given the substantial amount of evidence that odors draw visual attention to congruent visual objects (e.g., Seo et al, 2010; Tomono et al, 2011; Seigneuric et al, 2012; Chen et al, 2013)

Summary

Introduction

BACKGROUND Desktop virtual environments (VEs) are increasingly deployed to study future design plans and the possible effects of environmental qualities and interventions on human behavior and feelings of safety in built environments with signs of public disorder (Cozens et al, 2003; Park et al, 2008, 2010; Toet and van Schaik, 2012). Desktop VEs offer cost-effective, safe, controlled, and flexible environments that allow to investigate human response to a wide range of environmental factors without the constraints, distractions, and dangers of the real world (e.g., Nasar and Cubukcu, 2011). They are relatively cheap, widely available, and easy to use, while most users are familiar with these displays and their interaction devices. Previous studies have shown that environmental characteristics like lighting, sound, and dynamic elements affect the perception of desktop VEs and real environments (Bishop and Rohrmann, 2003; Houtkamp et al, 2008). Ambient odors may be an effective tool to tune the user perception of less immersive desktop VEs (e.g., by evoking implicit associations)

Methods

Results

Conclusion