15:00 - 16:30
Mon-Main hall - Z3-Poster 1--27
Mon-Poster 1
Room: Main hall - Z3
On the fast lane - manipulated visual speed affects self-perception during cycling in virtual reality.
Mon-Main hall - Z3-Poster 1-2711
Presented by: Carla Luttmann
Carla LuttmannPetra Jansen
Universität Regensburg
Due to its endless design possibilities, virtual reality can be a useful tool in exercise psychology. Its captivating and dissociating properties contribute to its relevance, for instance, in exercise facilitation. Different avatar and scene designs can impact user experience and behavior substantially, making exercise more enjoyable or pleasant. During locomotive exercises like cycling, visual flow is a crucial sensory cue that conveys information about the actor’s movement speed. A manipulation of the virtual movement speed may act on exercise experience and relevant aspects of self-perception, such as the sense of agency. To investigate the impact of visual flow speed during constant load cycling, sixty-six university sport students performed two ten-minute cycling bouts at a constant moderate intensity. A virtual cycling track was presented at either 50% or 150% of an individually assessed medium speed, respectively. Heart rate and subjective effort were measured throughout each trial. Faster visual flow speed was expected to evoke lower heart rates and ratings of subjective effort. Mixed linear model analyses revealed no significant effects of visual flow speed on both measures of effort. However, faster visual flow elicited greater senses of agency and presence. Further, slightly lower cadences were visible during faster visual flow. Although physical effort remained unaffected by visual flow speed, subjective reports indicate differences in the perception of both exercise bouts.
Keywords: visual flow, virtual reality, sense of agency