The Impact of Navigation on Proxemics in an Immersive Virtual Environment with Conversational Agents

2025-02-28

AI Summary

This study investigates how locomotion modalities affect interpersonal distance (proxemics) in social VR. Through an immersive virtual experiment (N=70), we compared teleportation versus natural walking in terms of users’ spontaneous interaction distances with virtual conversational agents, complemented by behavioral metrics and validated subjective scales (agency, body ownership, co-presence). Results reveal, for the first time, that teleportation significantly reduces unconscious interpersonal distance; women maintain larger proxemic distances than men; and natural walking enhances agency and body ownership without affecting co-presence. The key contribution is the identification of a “proxemics compression effect” induced by teleportation, with gender and spatial cognitive load emerging as critical moderating variables. These findings provide empirical grounding for designing human–agent interactions in social VR and inform interface optimization strategies targeting embodied presence and social appropriateness.

Technology Category

• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction
• Humans and AI: Game Design — Virtual Humans, NPCs and Autonomous Characters
• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science

Application Category

• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Practical large-scale studies of user experience
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

As social VR grows in popularity, understanding how to optimise interactions becomes increasingly important. Interpersonal distance (the physical space people maintain between each other) is a key aspect of user experience. Previous work in psychology has shown that breaches of personal space cause stress and discomfort. Thus, effectively managing this distance is crucial in social VR, where social interactions are frequent. Teleportation, a commonly used locomotion method in these environments, involves distinct cognitive processes and requires users to rely on their ability to estimate distance. Despite its widespread use, the effect of teleportation on proximity remains unexplored. To investigate this, we measured the interpersonal distance of 70 participants during interactions with embodied conversational agents, comparing teleportation to natural walking. Our findings revealed that participants maintained closer proximity from the agents during teleportation. Female participants kept greater distances from the agents than male participants, and natural walking was associated with higher agency and body ownership, though co-presence remained unchanged. We propose that differences in spatial perception and spatial cognitive load contribute to reduced interpersonal distance with teleportation. These findings emphasise that proximity should be a key consideration when selecting locomotion methods in social VR, highlighting the need for further research on how locomotion impacts spatial perception and social dynamics in virtual environments.

Problem

• Investigates impact of teleportation on interpersonal distance in VR.
• Compares teleportation and natural walking in social VR interactions.
• Explores gender differences and spatial perception in VR proximity.

Innovation

• Teleportation reduces interpersonal distance in VR.
• Natural walking enhances agency and body ownership.
• Gender differences affect proximity to virtual agents.