Influence of Virtual Experience Immersion, Product control, and Stimulation on Advertising Effects

With advances in communication technologies, virtual reality (VR) has become increasing popular. This study investigated the influence of virtual experiences on advertising effects. A 2 (virtual experience immersion: high vs. low) × 2 (virtual experience product control: high vs. low) × 2 (virtual experience product stimulation: high vs. low) between-subjects design was conducted. The results revealed that compared with the low-immersion virtual experience, the high-immersion virtual experience produced better advertisement attitudes. Furthermore, virtual experiences with high product control generated better advertisement attitudes when compared with virtual experiences with low product control. The two-way interactions between virtual experience product stimulation and immersion and between virtual experience product stimulation and virtual experience product control induced better brand attitude and purchase intention. In addition, telepresence and perceived enjoyment mediated the relationship between virtual experience and advertisement attitudes.

Etyka Tadeusza Czeżowskiego wobec kultury nowych mediów

Tadeusz Czeżowski’s Ethics towards New Media Culture This paper seeks to answer the question whether Tadeusz Czeżowski’s concept of ethics and value theory can be useful in a culture whose shape is largely determined by new media. On the basis of the collected arguments, it is argued that certain elements of Czeżowski’s system may help to solve some problems arising in this context. The first is the imbalance between real and virtual experience. An ontological exercise is proposed here. The second is setting the mind on permanent, mediated communication. Axiological exercises are the remedy. The third problem is the loss of holistic experience of self and the world. Philosophical exercises based on general concepts may be helpful here.

Application of Causal Inference to the Analysis of Occupant Thermal State and Energy Behavioral Intentions in Immersive Virtual Environments

Identification and quantitative understanding of factors that influence occupant energy behavior and thermal state during the design phase are critical in supporting effective energy-efficient design. To achieve this, immersive virtual environments (IVEs) have recently shown potential as a tool to simulate occupant energy behaviors and collect context-dependent behavior data for buildings under design. On the other hand, prior models of occupant energy behaviors and thermal states used correlation-based approaches, which failed to capture the underlying causal interactions between the influencing factors and hence were unable to uncover the true causing factors. Therefore, in this study, the authors investigate the applicability of causal inference for identifying the causing factors of occupant/participant energy behavioral intentions and their thermal states in IVE condition and compare those results with the baseline in-situ condition. The energy behavioral intentions here are a proximal antecedent of actual energy behaviors. A set of experiments involving 72 human subjects were performed through the use of a head-mounted device (HMD) in a climate chamber. The subjects were exposed to three different step temperatures (cool, neutral, warm) under an IVE and a baseline in-situ condition. Participants' individual factors, behavioral factors, skin temperatures, virtual experience factors, thermal states (sensation, acceptability, comfort), and energy behavioral intentions were collected during the experiments. Structural causal models were learnt from data using the elicitation method in conjunction with the PC-Stable algorithm. The findings show that the causal inference framework is a potentially effective method for identifying causing factors of thermal states and energy behavioral intentions as well as quantifying their causal effects. In addition, the study shows that in IVE experiments, the participants' virtual experience factors such as their immersion, presence, and cybersickness were not the causing factors of thermal states and energy behavioral intentions. Furthermore, the study suggests that participants' behavioral factors such as their attitudes toward energy conservation and perceived behavioral control to conserve energy were the causing factors of their energy behavioral intentions. Also, the indoor temperature was a causing factor of general thermal sensation and overall skin temperature. The paper also discusses other findings, including discrepancies, limitations of the study, and recommendations for future studies.

Summer STEM Camp Goes Virtual

Due to the global pandemic of COVID-19, camp and program directors raced to make decisions about summer programming. Traditionally, GSI Summer Camp is a day camp held on a local university campus for four weeks. Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, the program staff decided to move forward with a seven-week virtual experience for 45 upper elementary, middle, and high school participants. This article presents a description of the implementation of an infectious disease module during a virtual STEM camp.

Sequential Effects of Indirect, Direct, and Virtual Sport Experiences on Consumer Learning

The purpose of this study is to expand the theoretical knowledge of consumer learning by testing both the single and sequential effects of indirect, direct, and virtual sport experiences on sport brand knowledge, attitudes, and choice behavior in two laboratory experiments. Experiment I shows that virtual experience is as effective as direct experience in consumer learning. In Experiment II, designed to explore the impact of sequential combinations of sport experiences on consumer learning, the sequential combination of direct and virtual experiences results in greater brand knowledge than the combination of indirect and direct experiences. Exposure to direct experience proceeding with virtual experience is more effective at influencing brand attitudes than the combination of indirect and direct experiences. Th e results indicate that sport consumers are more likely to select sport brands at choice contexts when exposed to virtual experience in combination with direct experience.