Assessing Sense of Presence and Emotions in Virtual Reality Based on Job-Related Expertise: A Pilot Study with Police Officers

Objective: There are multiple theories and experimental evidences about sense of presence and emotions in virtual reality (VR); some suggest users’ characteristics (e.g., personality, sex) may play a role in VR experience. The present study aimed at assessing the role of profession-related knowledge and skills in the VR experience, specifically in terms of sense of presence and emotions. Methods: 8 police officers and 7 adult controls (all participants in both groups were male) were exposed to two 360° videos (counterbalanced), one with an aggressive/dangerous and the other with a neutral content. We assessed sense of presence, emotions and interaction behaviors. Results: Police officers reported higher emotional dominance at baseline, and higher emotional arousal both at baseline and after exposure to the 360° video with aggressive content. Moreover, police officers experienced higher levels of physical presence within the 360° video with aggressive content when it was presented first, while the opposite happened when it was presented last. Discussion: While results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size, they give interesting hints for future research about individual factors involved in sense of presence and emotions in VR.