Understanding cross cultural differences during interaction within immersive virtual environments

The result of a comparative study that investigates the cross-cultural differences between individuals interacting within immersive virtual environments is presented. The study has measured and compared levels of Presence obtained by Australian and Chinese participants during an immersive Virtual Reality session related to urban design evaluation. Presence was measured using the Immersive Tendency Questionnaire and Presence Questionnaire developed by Witmer and Singer (1998). The research objective was to identify the value of Immersive Virtual Reality for community consolation and design evaluation within varying cultural contexts. The results have highlighted that a statistical difference in Presence exists between the two groups, however no difference in Immersive Tendency was identified. Considering cultural differences in the design of both virtual environment content and appropriate human computer interaction hardware is suggested.