Article
Auditory Distance Perception in VR: The Influence of Visual Room Presentation and Estimation Method (en)
* Presenting author
Abstract:
Experiencing in Virtual Reality (VR) can be improved by presenting spatial sound sources via audio renderings. Spatial accuracy of audio renderings is often benchmarked by measuring distance estimates in sound localization. Importantly, distance estimates can be influenced by different factors, such as by visual cues, but also by the measurement technique itself. Therefore, sound localization accuracy can be confounded by factors unrelated to the audio rendering. The present study was designed to disentangle the impact of visual rendering and measurement technique on the accuracy of auditory distance perception in VR. Twenty four participants localized sound sources (loudspeakers), and localization accuracy was measured. Visual presentation mode was manipulated, either by presenting a virtual model of the laboratory room or by presenting a grey screen (both displayed via HMD). Furthermore, three different estimation methods (placement task, verbal estimation, blindwalking) were used. Based on prior findings we hypothesized that auditory distance will be overestimated when a visual room model is displayed compared to when a grey screen is displayed. Furthermore, we hypothesized that this overestimation is most pronounced in the placement task condition compared to blindwalking and verbal estimation. The findings are relevant for future studies investigating spatial hearing in VR.