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Perceived control and immersion in AI chatbot interaction: a psychological distance perspective
Mengdi Wang1, Yanxia Li2, Wenjing Zhang3
1School of Economics and Management, Harbin Institute of Technology Weihai, Weihai, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 29, 2026
Summary
Users feel more immersed in AI chatbot interactions when they have perceived control over the conversation and content. This control reduces psychological distance, enhancing the user experience.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Artificial Intelligence
- Psychology
Background:
- Psychological distance theory explains how reducing temporal, spatial, and social distance enhances experiences.
- AI chatbots offer interactive experiences where user perception of control may influence immersion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how perceived control (interaction and content) influences immersion in AI chatbot interactions.
- To examine the role of psychological distance as a mediator between perceived control and immersion.
- To differentiate the effects of perceived interaction control and perceived content control.
Main Methods:
- Survey data from 338 AI chatbot users.
- Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze net effects.
- Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to identify configurational pathways.
Main Results:
- Perceived interaction control positively predicts perceived content control and reduces all psychological distance dimensions.
- Perceived content control further reduces temporal, spatial, and social psychological distance.
- Reduced temporal and social psychological distance positively correlate with immersion; reduced spatial distance does not.
Conclusions:
- Perceived control is a key mechanism for achieving immersion in conversational AI.
- Distinguishing interaction and content control offers a nuanced understanding of AI chatbot immersion.
- Findings extend psychological distance theory to AI chatbot interactions.
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