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. 2024 Apr 19:15:1291650.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1291650. eCollection 2024.

Authenticity and presence: defining perceived quality in VR experiences

Asim Hameed  1 , Andrew Perkis  1
Affiliations

Authenticity and presence: defining perceived quality in VR experiences

Asim Hameed et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

This work expands the existing understanding of quality assessments of VR experiences. Historically, VR quality has focused on presence and immersion, but current discourse emphasizes plausibility and believability as critical for lifelike, credible VR. However, the two concepts are often conflated, leading to confusion. This paper proposes viewing them as subsets of authenticity and presents a structured hierarchy delineating their differences and connections. Additionally, coherence and congruence are presented as complementary quality functions that integrate internal and external logic. The paper considers quality formation in the experience of authenticity inside VR emphasizing that distinguishing authenticity in terms of precise quality features are essential for accurate assessments. Evaluating quality requires a holistic approach across perceptual, cognitive, and emotional factors. This model provides theoretical grounding for assessing the quality of VR experiences.

Keywords: authenticity; believability; plausibility; presence; user experience; user-perceived quality; virtual reality (VR).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The attribution process leading to judgment inside VR, adapted from Diemer et al. (2015).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Judgment process from perceived quality to judged quality. Immersion-related attributes give rise to a sense of presence, whereas perceived attributes of consistency and constancy (or realism) foster an authenticity about the experience.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Quality formation of experienced authenticity inside VR.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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