Postural instability in VR
Description
In the time of the VR applications using two mental representations are constructed from the ongoing events at the same time. The first is physical reality and the second one is computer-generated virtual reality. In both cases, the contingency-based automatic multimodal not consciously regulated stimulus integration configures the posture and the body schemata for responding to the conflicting stimuli flow. In this study, 52 right-handed volunteers have enrolled from a Facebook group for undergraduates female/male ratio: 27/25. The handedness was checked by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. Neurocognitive tests and self-report state and trait scales were used to assess the rate of presence that was experienced during the exposition of a virtual reality (VR) task. Participants were placed in a stanging postural position with a right hand targeting in from of a distal point of the laboratory wall and have been exhibited to a virtual reality task (VR) in which a tilting room task was applied. The room tilting induced postural instability provokes a compensative head and hand movement. The degree of compensative actions was automatically registered via the HMD and to the hand fixed leap motion system. Results: During the left or the right tilting of the VR- room induced a strong leftward or rightward contralateral compensative hand drifting. The rate of the hand drift had not been associated with the degree of global presence experience. However, persons with a higher score on hand-related presence showed a decreased hand-related compensation movement in the left side of the VR hemispace. Furthermore, the rate of both left and right horizontal hand drift showed a reverted association with the intensity of the IRI perspective-taking scale. Considering the interaction between the personality states and traits the rate of the global presence experience during the VR task exposition was associated with the intensity of posttest reported spatial presence scales, namely by attention allocation, spatial presence: self-location, and construction of a spatial situation model (measured by MEC_Spatial Presence Questionnaire) that supported the validity of the MEC_SPQ. The personality-related immersive and absorptive capability is associated with the MEC SPQ visual imagery scale. Conclusion: In the VR induced postural instability can be attenuated by the contralateral peripersonal drift of the hand but the rate of this compensation depends on the capability for changing between the presented two rivaling egocentric taking of reference.