The effect of stereo and context on memory and awareness states in immersive virtual environments

Spatial awareness is crucial for human performance efficiency of any task that entails perception of space. Memory of spaces is an imperfect reflection of the cognitive activity (awareness states) that underlies performance in such environments. Furthermore, performance on these tasks may also be influenced by the context of the environment. This research investigates the effect of stereo viewing on object recognition after exposure to an immersive VE, in terms of both scene context and associated awareness states. The immersive simulation consisted of a radiosity-rendered room that was either populated by objects consistent with an office setting or by primitive objects located in similar positions. The simulation was displayed on a stereo head-tracked Head Mounted Display. Twenty-four participants across two visual conditions of varying depth cues (absence vs presence of stereo cues) were exposed to the VE and completed an object-based memory recognition task. Participants also reported one of four states of awareness following each recognition response which reflected whether visual mental imagery was induced during retrieval. Results revealed better memory of objects that were consistent with the environment context and associated with vivid memorial experiences when the space was viewed in stereo.

[1]  I. Dobbins,et al.  Confidence-accuracy inversions in scene recognition: a remember-know analysis. , 1998, Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition.

[2]  Pedro J del Nido,et al.  Stereoscopic vision display technology in real-time three-dimensional echocardiography-guided intracardiac beating-heart surgery. , 2008, The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.

[3]  Richard C. Anderson,et al.  Taking different perspectives on a story. , 1977 .

[4]  Roger C. Schank,et al.  Dynamic Memory Revisited , 1999 .

[5]  Katerina Mania,et al.  Quantifying fidelity for virtual environment simulations employing memory schema assumptions , 2010, TAP.

[6]  Karen R. Brandt,et al.  The distinctiveness effect in forenames: the role of subjective experiences and recognition memory. , 2006, British journal of psychology.

[7]  Ian G. Dobbins,et al.  Confidence–accuracy inversions in scene recognition: A remember–know analysis. , 1998 .

[8]  R. Patterson,et al.  Human Stereopsis , 1992, Human factors.

[9]  Marina Kolesnik,et al.  Estimation of travel distance from visual motion in virtual environments , 2007, TAP.

[10]  Patrick Henry Winston,et al.  The psychology of computer vision , 1976, Pattern Recognit..

[11]  Katerina Mania,et al.  Cognitive transfer of spatial awareness states from immersive virtual environments to reality , 2010, TAP.

[12]  Katerina Mania,et al.  Perceptual sensitivity to head tracking latency in virtual environments with varying degrees of scene complexity , 2004, APGV '04.

[13]  Jodi L. Davenport,et al.  Scene Consistency in Object and Background Perception , 2004, Psychological science.

[14]  Katerina Mania,et al.  A schema-based selective rendering framework , 2009, APGV '09.

[15]  Philip W. Fink,et al.  Obstacle avoidance during walking in real and virtual environments , 2007, TAP.

[16]  Katerina Mania,et al.  Fidelity Metrics for Virtual Environment Simulations Based on Spatial Memory Awareness States , 2003, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[17]  Betsy Williams Sanders,et al.  Functional similarities in spatial representations between real and virtual environments , 2007, TAP.

[18]  Jonathan Freeman,et al.  Effects of Stereo and Motion Manipulations on Measured Presence in Stereoscopic Displays , 1997 .

[19]  Diego Gutierrez,et al.  Perception in graphics, visualization, virtual environments and animation , 2011, SA '11.

[20]  J M Gardiner,et al.  Changes in memory awareness during learning: the acquisition of knowledge by psychology undergraduates. , 1997, Journal of experimental psychology. General.

[21]  Katerina Mania,et al.  The Effect of Memory Schemas on Object Recognition in Virtual Environments , 2005, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[22]  P Milgram,et al.  Effects of Stereoscopic and Rotational Displays in a Three-Dimensional Path- Tracing Task , 1993, Human factors.

[23]  Kay M Stanney,et al.  Effects of low stereo acuity on performance, presence and sickness within a virtual environment. , 2006, Applied ergonomics.

[24]  Marvin Minsky,et al.  A framework for representing knowledge" in the psychology of computer vision , 1975 .

[25]  J. Henderson,et al.  Does consistent scene context facilitate object perception? , 1998, Journal of experimental psychology. General.

[26]  Peter Willemsen,et al.  Effects of Stereo Viewing Conditions on Distance Perception in Virtual Environments , 2008, PRESENCE: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments.

[27]  E. Tulving.  Elements of episodic memory , 1983 .

[28]  Marvin Minsky,et al.  A framework for representing knowledge , 1974 .

[29]  Katerina Mania,et al.  The effect of visual and interaction fidelity on spatial cognition in immersive virtual environments , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics.

[30]  W. Brewer,et al.  Role of schemata in memory for places , 1981, Cognitive Psychology.

[31]  Y. Bastanlar,et al.  Effects of Color-Multiplex Stereoscopic View on Memory and Navigation , 2007, 2007 3DTV Conference.

[32]  Earl Hunt,et al.  The Transfer of Spatial Knowledge in Virtual Environment Training , 1998, Presence.

[33]  A. Richardson-Klavehn,et al.  Remembering and knowing , 2000 .