The impact of visual fidelity on screen-based virtual reality food choices: A randomized pilot study.

Abstract

Objective: To understand the impact of fidelity and perceived realism on virtual reality food choices, and task motivation, engagement, and interest.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Online.

Participants: 84 participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk.

Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to either a high- (n = 43) or a low- (n = 41) visual fidelity environment and were asked to select foods to have a meal with a friend.

Main outcome measures: Food choice, motivation of food choices, engagement, and interest.

Analysis: Simple linear regressions between visual fidelity and perceived realism, and log-linear regressions for visual fidelity or perceived realism on either motivation, interest, or engagement. Poisson models between visual fidelity or perceived realism, and food selections.

Results: Manipulating visual fidelity was not associated with perceived realism, motivation, interest, or engagement in the food selection task. Perceived realism increased motivation by 0.3% (SE 0.056; p = 0.022), interest by 1.4% (SE 0.002; p<0.001), and engagement by 0.9% (SE 0.001; p<0.001) in the food selection task. High visual fidelity decreased the total number of foods selected (B = 0.216; CI (-0.384; -0.047); p = 0.012).

Conclusion and implications: Perceived realism, but not visual fidelity, is important for task related factors like motivation, engagement, and interest. Visual fidelity may influence some food selections.