ABSTRACT

Cognitive research has revealed that perception is an active process, not merely an automatic bottomup conveyance of sensory data such as visual images to higher-order cognitive centers. Expectations and experience exert a top-down contribution to perception, which results from the active interpretation of sensations in the context of these expectations and experience. In the past, the relatively low visual ˜delity of VEs raised issues for perception due to the very poor resolution of displays (e.g., in terms of number of pixels presented per degree of visual angle), the frequent problems with alignment and convergence, and the often-primitive 3D models and texture maps presented on the displays. These characteristics place substantive constraints on the role of bottom-up data processing in perception in VEs. However, incredible advancements have been made in VE technology over the past decade resulting in high-resolution displays and complex 3D models that many times appear to accurately mimic reality. These advancements have shifted the importance of the top-down contributions of expectations and experience as VEs are now able to more accurately represent the cues that impact bottom-up processing. Despite this, the question remains: “To what extent must the perceptual experience with VE representations replicate real-world experience to ensure accurate perceptions?” The answer is not a simple one as it depends on the goals of the VE. In today’s high-technology culture, people are able to interpret the graphical representations on television and on computer screens. However, when it is necessary for these interpretations to elicit emotional response, oftentimes, they fall short. To what extent must people learn to interpret-learn to see-what is presented in a VE and to what extent must these VEs be better designed to elicit accurate perceptions?