Physiological and Behavioral Assessment of Presence: FITE JCTD Spiral 1 Operational Demonstration

Abstract : This technical paper reports upon the measurement of behavioral observations and physiological monitoring of heart rates from individual infantrymen to determine whether a sense of presence occurred during virtual scenarios in the Operational Demonstrations of Spiral 1 of the Future Immersive Training Environment Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (FITE JCTD). During this study Army and Marine Corps infantry squads participated in multiple virtual combat scenarios. Each participant wore an Expedition Dismounted Infantryman (ExDI) suit which allowed him to control an avatar within a Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2) scenario. Behavioral observations were used to identify participant actions or behaviors that demonstrated signs of presence. A physiological measure (heart rate / HR variability) was also collected from four squads (2 USMC, 2 USA) during each of four scenarios. This measure was used to determine whether the participant s heart rate (HR) during the scenario differed from baseline HR. Individual HR data were also correlated to scenario event time markers (e.g., sniper shot) to denote individual levels of presence during the event. The behavioral observation and physiological measures described in this report appear to be effective for determining whether participants experience a sense of presence, being in the environment opposed to just watching it, during virtual scenarios.