University of Twente Student Theses

360° view of nature: virtual reality 3D nature environments versus 360° nature videos and their effects on positive and negative affect levels, sense of presence, and nature connectedness in university students

Link, V.M. (2023) 360° view of nature: virtual reality 3D nature environments versus 360° nature videos and their effects on positive and negative affect levels, sense of presence, and nature connectedness in university students.

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Abstract:	This paper examines the differences between a 360° video of a real forest and a 3D model of a forest in virtual reality and their effects on affect levels, nature connectedness, and sense of presence on university students. Momentarily and in the past, university students have been a population at risk of lower general wellbeing as they struggle with high academic pressure, the after-effects of COVID-19, and financial burden while receiving little support. Spending time in nature can provide multiple benefits to one’s wellbeing, such as increasing positive affect, vitality, and life satisfaction. However, not every student has access to nature. Literature shows that virtual nature environments can provide an alternative to real nature exposure with short exposures such as 5 minutes, thus this study compares two mediums to investigate their differences. The population included mixed gender and nationality students of the University of Twente within the same age range (18-28) who were recruited via SONA and convenience sampling. The 3D-VR condition was comprised of 21 students, while the 360-VR condition was comprised of 20. The participants filled out a survey including three questionnaires, two of which were administered before and after the exposure. The exposure lasted 5 minutes. The study demonstrates that both mediums are effective at decreasing negative affect levels and increasing nature connectedness, while the 3D environment elicited a higher sense of presence in virtual reality than the 360° video environment. An interpretation of the findings suggests that sense of presence might be a deciding factor for seeing differences between the conditions, particularly the subscale of involvement, as the environments could not be interacted with. Incentive for further research was given, particularly to investigate the role of sense of presence.
Item Type:	Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:	BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:	77 psychology
Programme:	Psychology BSc (56604)
Link to this item:	https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/94248
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