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The benefits of nature tourism, or nature-based travel, are plentiful. For example, participation in nature tours has positively impacted environmental attitudes and behaviors. Unfortunately, while psychologically beneficial, nature-based tourism can hurt the environment through a myriad of factors. Therefore, we must continue to explore ways to make the benefits of nature-based travel more sustainable and impactful. Research suggests that nature-based travel in virtual reality (VR) may impart numerous travel benefits, such as improving conservational behavior and interconnectedness with nature. While these early findings are promising, questions remain regarding the theoretical mechanisms underlying the effects of nature-based VR travel. Therefore, this study explores how VR may provide an avenue to make nature tourism more environmentally friendly while simultaneously making people more environmentally connected and conscious. Furthermore, a theoretical framework is posited that combines concepts from the spatial presence and narrative persuasion literature to help explain the effects. To accomplish these goals, an experiment was conducted using a two-condition (VR travel vs. TV control) between-subjects factorial design with random assignment. The participants were 66 college students from a large Midwestern University in the United States. Results indicated that there wasn't a statistically significant difference between the VR travel condition and the television (TV) control condition regarding the environmental outcome variables. However, while the nature-based VR travel experience did not appear to influence the environmental outcome variables directly, it did indirectly affect them through the mediating roles of spatial presence and narrative engagement.

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Previous research shows that virtual reality (VR) users may experience symptoms of depersonalization/derealization (DPDR) immediately after use. However, the impact of long-term VR use on these symptoms has not been analyzed so far. In a preregistered study, we conducted an online survey among a bigger sample of VR users (N = 754) to investigate the relationship between time of use during the past 6 months and the presence of DPDR symptoms. The results support the absence of a linear association between time of VR use and the presence of symptoms, when controlling for other factors. DPDR symptoms are more frequent among younger female users and in those who experience higher levels of embodiment during use. Secondary analyses show that symptoms are more common among newer users and among those who engage in longer sessions. These findings suggest that current common VR experiences are not a cause of long-term DPDR symptoms for the majority of users, yet also encourage further research about specific cases where VR use might trigger DPDR experiences in the long term.

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Virtual reality (VR) has developed rapidly, drawing more businesses to such development. Based on the diffusion of innovations theory (DIT), the study combines the flow theory and the satisfaction perspective to explore purchase intention influencing customers' adoption of the VR shopping platform system. This study found that satisfaction and flow experience enhance their purchase intention. In technological characteristics, relative advantage, service compatibility, spatial presence, and complexity are important in satisfaction. Among them, both relative advantage and spatial presence impact flow experience. Additionally, a cluster analysis based on gender was conducted, and the study found a significant difference between relative advantages, service compatibility, and complexity in women and men users. The flow experience is an important factor affecting women users' shopping intention, while insignificant for male users. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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This article presents data for the estimation of a theory-driven dynamic and contingent model of customer engagement in the context of retail mobile apps. The data were collected from 558 participants who have installed at least one retail mobile app for a minimum of six months and have made relatively frequent purchases using the app. Customer-related data include participants' interactivity and vividness cognitions, spatial presence experience, and engagement behaviors (i.e., customer purchases, referrals, influences, and feedbacks/suggestions) toward retail mobile apps. The data additionally include individuals' tendency/motivation-related variables, such as need for cognition and domain-specific interest, which modulate customers' cognitions as well as affective evaluations that are then followed by their actions. The authors collected the data from early May through mid-July 2020 in three major cities (i.e., Hanoi, Danang, and Ho-Chi-Minh) with leading positions in the Vietnamese eBusiness index. The presented data can be used to investigate the contingency model of driving factors of customer engagement in the context of retail mobile apps and improve the design and functionalities of mobile apps that foster embodied and embedded cognitions, facilitate the feeling of a "real" shopping experience, and ultimately encourage customers to actively engage and effectively contribute to participating retailers. For findings, discussions and further information, please refer to our recent research article: "Customer engagement in the context of retail mobile apps: A contingency model integrating spatial presence experience and its drivers" [1].

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Differences in conscious experience of reality occur between waking, dreaming, and psychotic states. Between these states, there are systematic differences in the judgment about the reality of the experience when being confronted with bizarre breaks. However, the mechanisms underlying experience of reality in these different states are still unknown. To investigate the effect of bizarre breaks on experience of reality during the wake state, we propose a new paradigm using dream-like bizarreness and immersive virtual reality. Results showed that the realistic non-bizarre virtual environment induced high levels of reality judgment and spatial presence, whereas the confrontation with bizarre breaks induced high levels of experienced bizarreness. Moreover, experienced bizarreness significantly reduced reality judgment in both the bizarre and the realistic condition. Further, there was no effect of bizarre breaks on spatial presence. These results provide proof of concept for the new method to elicit natural bizarre experience within a realistic scenario.

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Social virtual reality (VR) platforms are an emergent phenomenon, with growing numbers of users utilizing them to connect with others while experiencing feelings of presence ("being there"). This article examines the associations between feelings of presence and the activities performed by users, and the psychological benefits obtained in terms of relatedness, self-expansion, and enjoyment, in the context of the covid-19 pandemic. The results of a survey conducted among users (N = 220) indicate that feelings of spatial presence predict these three outcomes, while social presence predicts relatedness and enjoyment, but not self-expansion. Socialization activities like meeting friends in VR are associated with relatedness and enjoyment, while playful and creative activities allow for self-expansion. Moreover, the perceived impact of social distancing measures was associated with an increase in use, suggesting the utility of these platforms to help users meeting particularly frustrated psychological needs. These results provide a first quantitative account of the potential positive effects of social VR platforms on users' wellbeing and encourage further research on the topic.

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Este estudo teve como objetivo desenvolver uma escala de presença nas tecnologias ubíquas. O processo de desenvolvimento do instrumento teve como etapas 1) a escolha dos atributos comportamentais referentes ao objeto de estudo e à operacionalização do construto, 2) a apresentação a três juízes, dois grupos focais, 3) uma aplicação-piloto em uma amostra reduzida (n = 30) e, por fim, 4) uma aplicação com a 458 participantes. Foram realizadas análises de consistênciainterna, análise fatorial confirmatória e análise fatorial confirmatória multigrupo. A versão final da "Escala de Presença em Tecnologias Ubíquas (EPTU)" conta com 14 itens, agrupados em três fatores independentes (autopresença, presença espacial e presença social), e apresenta um bom índice de consistência interna (α = 0,905) e índices de ajuste aceitáveis (χ2 = 116,83; gl = 74; p < 0,01; CFI = 0,99; RMSEA= 0,035; SRMR = 0,053), com parâmetros psicométricos equivalentes por gênero

This study aimed to develop a scale of presence in ubiquitous technologies. The development process of the instrument had 4 stages: 1) the choice of behavioral attributes related to the object of study and the operation of the construct, 2) the presentation to three judges, two focus groups and a 3) pilot application in a reduced sample (n = 30) and 4) an application with 458 participants. In order to obtain validity and reliability evidences we performed internal consistency analyzes, confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup confirmatory factorial analysis. The final version of the Presence Scale in Ubiquitous Technologies has 14 items, grouped into three independent factors (Self-Presence, Spatial Presence and Social Presence), and has a good internal consistency index (alpha = 0.905) and an acceptable adjustment index (χ2 = 116.83, gl = 74, p <0.01, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.035, SRMR = 0.053), with equivalent psychometric parameters by gender

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo el desarrollo de una escala de presencia en las tecnologías ubicuas. El proceso de desarrollo del instrumento tuvo como etapas 1) la elección de los atributos comportamentales referentes al objeto de estudio y la operacionalización del constructo, 2) la presentación a tres jueces, dos grupos focales, 3) una aplicación piloto en una muestra reducida (n = 30), y por último, 4) una aplicación con 458 participantes. Se realizaron análisis de consistencia interna, análisis factorial confirmatorio y análisis factorial confirmatorio multigrupo. La versión final de la Escala de Presencia en Tecnologías Ubíquicas cuenta con 14 ítems, agrupados en tres factores independientes (Autopresencia, Presencia Espacial y Presencia Social), y presenta un buen índice de consistencia interna (alfa = 0,905) y un índice de ajuste aceptable (χ2 = 116,83; gl = 74; p < 0,01; CFI = 0,99; RMSEA = 0,035; SRMR = 0,053) con parámetros psicométricos equivalentes por género

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An experiment is reported that studied the effects of spatial embodiment in augmented reality on medical attitudes about the self. College students (N = 90) viewed public service announcements (PSAs) with overlaid virtual fetuses and X-rayed images of lungs on various interfaces representing embodiment-a two-dimensional screen, a three-dimensional (3D) mannequin, and the participants' bodies (3D). Results indicated that PSA messages with richer embodied interfaces increase the sense of "being there," also known as spatial presence (SP), in sequential order; this leads to increased negative emotion regarding smoking cigarettes and an increased willingness to engage with a cigarette cessation campaign. When the SP mediates the dual model process, only affective attitudes increase the behavioral intention to engage with the campaign.

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