Memories for third-person experiences in immersive virtual reality

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Virtual Reality Research
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Human perception typically occurs from a first-person perspective (1PP).
• However, third-person perspective (3PP) experiences, akin to an observer, are also possible.
• The impact of visual perspective on memory formation remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how visual perspective during the encoding of experiences influences memory.
• To examine the effects of 1PP versus 3PP on both visual and spatial memory accuracy.
• To determine if the perspective during encoding influences the subjective experience of remembering.

Main Methods:

• An immersive virtual reality (VR) paradigm using Oculus Rift headsets was developed.
• Participants explored virtual environments from both 1PP and 3PP avatar perspectives.
• Memory recall (visual and spatial mapping) was assessed immediately and after a one-week delay.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in the accuracy of visual memory between 1PP and 3PP.
• Third-person perspective (3PP) significantly increased spatial memory accuracy compared to 1PP.
• Participants experiencing 3PP reported more observer-like perspectives during recall, indicating 3PP memories.

Conclusions:

• Visual perspective during memory encoding influences the accuracy of spatial memory, but not visual memory.
• Third-person perspective (3PP) experiences lead to enhanced spatial memory and memories with an observer-like vantage point.
• VR offers a valuable tool for studying the effects of visual perspective on memory.