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Emotional Arousal is Mediated by a Sense of Presence Elicited by Three-Dimensional Virtual Stimuli

Poster Session E - Monday, March 9, 2026, 2:30 – 4:30 pm PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Martin Alexandrov¹ (), James Kryklywy²; ¹Lakehead University

In simulated environments, ‘presence’ is the sensation of immersion that is thought to indicate that experiences in these environments may be similar to real ones. It is related to the perceptual realism of objects and experiences, including those that evoke emotion. However, there is limited research that explicitly targets the relationship between presence and how effectively virtual stimuli can elicit emotional responses. The current study explores whether the strength of presence elicited by virtual objects mediates their emotional impact. Participants were presented with both static two-dimensional (low-presence) and rotating three-dimensional objects (mixed presence; objects shown as videos), and were required to rate the emotional arousal, valence, and realism of each one. Stimuli for both conditions consisted of 30 objects collected from the Unity Asset Store and Sketchfab, with each object being shown for 20 seconds. Results show that higher ratings of realism were found for rotating compared to static objects, with this increased immersion related to the level of emotional arousal they elicit. This suggests that perceptions of realism may evoke more intense emotional responses, even when not presented in true immersive virtual environments (i.e., virtual reality systems). Further, this work highlights the potential of three-dimensional, or virtual paradigms, when designing studies of affective response, as they may provide higher fidelity and a more naturalistic response pattern compared to traditional two-dimensional stimulus presentations.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Emotion-cognition interactions