Being here, being there: Investigating cognitive and attentional mechanisms of breaks in presence using psychophysiological and reaction time measures

The concept of presence examines users' immersive experiences in virtual environments. This study investigates Breaks in Presence (BIPs) by examining attentional and cognitive mechanisms through psychophysiological measures and a modified secondary task reaction time (STRT) paradigm. Two experiments (Study 1: N = 78; Study 2: N = 63) required participants to play a desktop video game while responding to auditory stimuli either integrated into the game's narrative (narrative stimuli) or external to the virtual environment (external stimuli), potentially disrupting presence. Results showed consistent orienting response (OR) patterns across psychophysiological channels, including electrodermal activity, cardiac activity, and pupil diameter, confirming their reliability as indicators of breaks in presence. Cardiac recovery responses were stronger for external stimuli, suggesting heightened attentional shifts. STRT differences between conditions were limited to early trials, with general learning effects observed in both studies. Habituation patterns emerged in Study 1 but were less pronounced in Study 2, reflecting increased task complexity. Cognitive load measures did not differ significantly. Both studies advance presence research by 1) demonstrating the utility of psychophysiological measures for identifying attentional mechanisms underlying BIPs and 2) highlighting the potential of STRT paradigms for assessing cognitive processing in virtual environments. Future research should explore immersive setups, refine STRT methodologies, and consider individual differences, such as gaming experience, to deepen our understanding of presence dynamics.