Use of Virtual Environments for the Acquisition of Spatial Knowledge: Comparison Among Different Visual Displays

This experiment investigated the effects of three visual display systems differing in immersiveness: A wide field of view (FOV) 3-D helmet-mounted display (HMD); a 3-D HMD with a narrow FOV; and a stationary, rear-projection, wide screen display (WSD). Soldiers explored a virtual environment (VE) representing an actual, unfamiliar heliport. Measures of spatial knowledge of the heliport and presence were recorded. Pretest-posttest differences showed that exploration of the VE transferred to the actual heliport. Visual display had no effect on spatial knowledge of the heliport or on presence. Measures of susceptibility to presence correlated with reported presence only in the WSD condition. Results question popular notions about VEs, which assume that visual-spatial learning is more effective the more immersive the visual display.