Presence

Presence refers to the internal sensation of "being immersed" in a virtual environment, giving the user a sense of genuinely existing within it. It involves the emotional and psychological bond that users form with the virtual space. Presence functions as both a mental state and a personal viewpoint, as a user’s individual experiences shape their perception of the virtual world. Their emotions are influenced and molded by the virtual environment and the technology that supports it.

Presence is crucial in virtual reality (VR) because it plays a key role in determining the quality of the user's experience. When presence is heightened, users become more engaged, emotionally connected, and feel a stronger link to the VR environment.

Because presence is a subjective, internal feeling, it can be difficult to measure. Researchers use a variety of methods to capture it. The most common are questionnaires, such as the Presence Questionnaire or the Slater–Usoh–Steed (SUS) scale, where participants rate how strongly they felt “inside” the virtual world. Others use behavioral observations, noting how people move, react, or interact in VR, or even physiological measures such as heart rate and skin conductance to detect signs of emotional and sensory engagement. Felton (2021) review shows that these different approaches aim to understand the same underlying phenomenon, but each offers only part of the picture. The paper also highlights the factors that influence presence. These include the design and technical features of the immersive system, such as visual resolution, tracking accuracy, and audio quality, as well as the type of interaction it allows. Equally important are the characteristics of the user: their expectations, previous experiences with technology, and willingness to engage with the environment all shape how present they feel. Context matters too. A compelling narrative or a meaningful task can heighten presence, while technical glitches or unrealistic visuals can break it.

When we talk about presence in virtual reality (VR), it's easy to imagine it as simply "being there" — the sensation of being mentally absorbed in a virtual environment. But Weber et al (2021) urge us to broaden our understanding. They argue that presence is a two-part experience: it’s not just about attentional immersion but also about the perceived realism of the virtual world. Think of an optician's method of assessment: they don't just test visual clarity - they evaluate the breadth of vision, stereoscopic depth, and colour perception. Similarly, presence research should move beyond asking whether users feel “inside” a virtual world and include how realistic and plausible that world feels, how natural shadows appear, whether proportions feel accurate, if interactions feel intuitive, and whether the virtual body corresponds authentically to one's real body. This distinction connects closely to psychological research on plausibility and congruence. For example, when a virtual environment responds believably to your actions, like casting a shadow, following accurate physics, or exhibiting coherent narrative consequences, you’re more likely to accept the scenario as "real," boosting your sense of presence. This mirrors classic experimental studies on embodied cognition and sensorimotor contingencies, where aligning expectations with sensory feedback enhances immersion and authenticity.

Activity: Reflection Questions

For this activity I encourage you to reflect on the concept of presence. Some of the key concepts around presence are rooted in philosophical ideas. Below is a keynote recording discussing presence in a more broader sense and might be of interest.

Some questions to get you thinking:

• Consider how presence in VR extends beyond just feeling immersed. Why is the realism of the virtual environment is equally important?

• Imagine a VR scenario that looks realistic but does not feel interactive. How might this affect your overall sense of presence?

• What could explain why perceived realism enhances presence? Think about sensorimotor expectations, narrative consistency or cognitive plausibility?

• Consider a study idea to measures "being there" and "realism". What methods would you use and why?

• Can high presence over be counterproductive, for example, raising distress in a VR environment? How might realism intensify emotional impact, and what ethical or design precautions should be taken?