Publication
Title
The visual information available in virtual reality
Author
Abstract
Perception in virtual reality is often compared to the perception of pictures. there are, however, important differences. A virtual reality environment, unlike a picture, is interactive and immersive. these properties give rise to novel theoretical challenges. Building on James J. Gibson’s analysis of the perception of depictions, we raise three questions about perception in virtual reality, to which we offer tenta- tive answers: (1) Is virtual reality a kind of picture perception? Answer: No. A virtual reality headset is better understood not as an image-based display but as a pair of electronic spectacles that allow the wearer to sample a simulated ambient optic array. (2) Who cre- ates the information in virtual reality? Answer: the information is a joint creation of hardware developers, software engineers, and the observer. the observer is a co-creator of the information that they detect. (3) Are there affordances in virtual reality? Answer: Yes, but there are limitations on what a given virtual reality environment can provide to its users, resulting from the details of how the environ- ment is implemented. An accurate understanding of the perceptual information available in virtual reality may contribute to current phil- osophical debates on the nature of experience in virtual reality.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Ecological psychology / International Society for Ecological Psychology. - Hillsdale, N.J.
Publication
Hillsdale, N.J. : 2024
ISSN
1040-7413
DOI
10.1080/10407413.2024.2322992
Volume/pages
36 :1 (2024) , p. 24-38
ISI
001175589800001
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
The author-created version that incorporates referee comments and is the accepted for publication version Available from 26.03.2025
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Understanding virtual reality through ongoing embodied imagining.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 25.03.2024
Last edited 02.07.2024
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