Keeping track of reality: embedding visual memory in natural behaviour

ABSTRACTSince immersive virtual reality (IVR) emerged as a research method in the 1980s, the focus has been on the similarities between IVR and actual reality. In this vein, it has been suggested that IVR methodology might fill the gap between laboratory studies and real life. IVR allows for high internal validity (i.e., a high degree of experimental control and experimental replicability), as well as high external validity by letting participants engage with the environment in an almost natural manner. Despite internal validity being crucial to experimental designs, external validity also matters in terms of the generalizability of results. In this paper, we first highlight and summarise the similarities and differences between IVR, desktop situations (both non-immersive VR and computer experiments), and reality. In the second step, we propose that IVR is a promising tool for visual memory research in terms of investigating the representation of visual information embedded in natural behaviour. We encourage researchers to carry out experiments on both two-dimensional computer screens and in immersive virtual environments to investigate visual memory and validate and replicate the findings. IVR is valuable because of its potential to improve theoretical understanding and increase the psychological relevance of the findings.KEYWORDS: Virtual realityinternal validityexternal validityvisual memoryreplication Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 It is worth noting that other technologies, such as CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment), which consists of a room-sized cube with projection screens on multiple walls, have been proposed as belonging to a distinct category (Smith, Citation2019). In CAVE systems, the walls serve as screens onto which stereoscopic images are projected, creating a three-dimensional visual experience. Users typically wear glasses to perceive the stereoscopic depth, while a tracking system detects their position and orientation, enabling movement and interaction within the virtual environment. For the scope of this paper, we do not review research utilizing CAVE systems, but we refer interested readers to Smith (Citation2019) for precise technological definitions, including distinctions between desktop VR, headset VR, and simulator VR (such as CAVE).2 Empirical evidence showing that spatial information is encoded automatically both in working memory (Cai et al., Citation2019) as well as in long-term memory (Martarelli & Mast, Citation2013) supports the special role of spatial information in visual memory. Furthermore, spatial information is also recalled with high precision in incidental memory tasks, and congruent spatial information between encoding and recall has been shown to improve performance in change detection and reproduction tasks (Martarelli et al., Citation2022; Treisman & Zhang, Citation2006). The special role of spatial information in visual memory is an important argument for the use of IVR in visual memory research.Additional informationFundingThis article was supported in part by the Swiss National Science Foundation [grant no 100019_185477 awarded to C. S. M.].