Cognitive load in immersive media settings: the role of spatial presence and cybersickness

Abstract

Faced with the ongoing diversification and commercial success of highly immersive media technologies (e.g., VR headsets), both content producers and scientific scholars have become highly invested in understanding the psychological consequences of experiencing media in these new and lifelike ways. While many studies underscore positive effects of high media immersivity—such as increased enjoyment or persuasive success—others warn about the intense cognitive load that technologies such as VR might put on their users. In a laboratory experiment with N = 121 participants, we compare the cognitive load experienced while watching a 360° video on a laptop screen or via an immersive VR head-mounted display. Furthermore, we scrutinize two prominent explanations for the additional cognitive load in immersive media settings, i.e., the role of spatial presence and cybersickness. As expected, the VR condition results in higher cognitive load, spatial presence, and cybersickness than the 2D condition. However, by means of a parallel mediation model, we observe that only cybersickness emerges as a meaningful mediator of participants’ strained cognitive capacity; spatial presence, on the other hand, remains statistically irrelevant in this regard. We discuss our findings considering implications for media producers and future research.

Comparative analysis of spatial ability in immersive and non-immersive virtual reality: the role of sense of presence, simulation sickness and cognitive load

“…They found that the IVR conditions led to higher CL, spatial presence, and SS compared to the 2D conditions, arguing that the relationship between CL and SS differs based on levels of immersion. Further evidence for a non-linear relationship between SS and CL mediated by immersion was found by Breves and Stein (2023), finding CL to associate with higher SS (and SoP) in HMD-mediated VR but not in the 2D condition. Relatedly, Venkatakrishnan (2023) found CL from secondary distractions to be beneficial for reducing SS, underscoring a more non-direct relationship between CL and SS.…”

“…The interplay between CL, SoP, and SS is intricate, and immersive technologies have been shown to affect all three extraneous variables significantly (Cummings and Bailenson, 2016;Breves and Stein, 2023). On one side, you have SoP, which is generally found to enhance learning and performance in a VE (Stevens and Kincaid, 2015;Grassini et al, 2020).…”

“…Evidence also exists for a more nuanced relationship between the relevant variables. Breves and Stein (2023) examined CL in an immersive media setting, focusing on the roles of spatial presence and SS. They found that the IVR conditions led to higher CL, spatial presence, and SS compared to the 2D conditions, arguing that the relationship between CL and SS differs based on levels of immersion.…”

“…The remaining sample comprised 36 men and 26 women aged 20 to 29 (M = 23.17, SD = 1.94). The sample size was established based on similar studies (Ha, 2020;Evensmoen et al, 2021;Breves and Stein, 2023). Participants were mainly recruited from the student population at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Trondheim, Norway).…”

Immersive virtual reality for learning about ecosystems: effect of two signaling levels and feedback on action decisions

“…This could account for the lack of effect observed on learning performances and outcomes. Cognitive load has been measured using direct brain measures (EEG) and subjective scales ( Makransky et al, 2019b ; Breves and Stein, 2022 ). The effect on cognitive load was significant in several studies.…”