Motivation to Select Point of View in Cinematic Virtual Reality

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of participants' preferred point of view of two protagonists, and their motivation for this preference, on two viewings of a cinematic 360-degree video filmed from the first person perspective. Before watching the film, which dramatized gender bias in a STEM workplace, participants were asked to state whether they preferred to view the film from the point of view (POV) of a male protagonist, a female protagonist, or make no selection. They were then asked why they held this preference. Their answers were predictive. Participants' tracked head movements, and the events participants recalled from the film, differed according to their pre-stated preference and motivation.