Familiar size affects perception differently in virtual reality and the real world

Area of Science:

• Perceptual psychology
• Virtual reality research
• 3D vision

Background:

• The utility of virtual reality (VR) for research hinges on whether perception in virtual environments mirrors real-world perception.
• Previous studies have not fully explored discrepancies in how humans perceive size and distance in VR versus physical reality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare size and distance perception between virtual reality (VR) and physical reality.
• To investigate the influence of binocular cues and familiar size on perception in both VR and physical environments.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted comparing perception of objects (dice, Rubik's cubes) in VR and physical reality.
• Participants viewed stimuli binocularly or monocularly and manually estimated perceived size and distance.
• Familiar size and binocular cues (vergence, disparity) were manipulated.

Main Results:

• In physical reality, participants relied more on presented size than familiar size when using binocular cues.
• In VR, participants consistently relied heavily on familiar size, irrespective of binocular cue availability.
• These perceptual differences were observed across different stimuli and VR headset quality.

Conclusions:

• Perception of size and distance significantly differs between virtual reality and physical reality.
• The reliance on familiar size cues in VR, independent of binocular information, challenges the direct generalization of VR research findings to the real world.
• Further research is needed to understand these perceptual discrepancies for accurate VR application in scientific studies.