The influence of object realism on human 3D recognition

The role of realism in recognition of 3D objects in virtual reality was examined. It was hypothesized that users of VR would benefit from realistic objects and active exploration of objects in general. Furthermore was tested, whether visuo-spatial ability can work as a moderator for the kind of exploration that provides the best recognition. Through an experiment, we found that object realism has much influence on human 3D recognition. People are faster and more accurate in remembering realistic objects in contrast to abstract ones. Furthermore were the participants the most accurate for unstudied objects and didn’t benefited significantly from active exploration, when studying objects. This process was shown to be moderated by the object condition (realistic vs. abstract). For people, studying the realistic objects, the form of exploration was of less importance.