Duration Estimation and Presence

In this paper we report on a first attempt at investigating the relation between presence and duration estimation, and explore the possibility of using duration estimation as a corroborative measure of presence. Duration estimation refers to the human ability to indicate how much time has elapsed and has been shown to be influenced by factors such as interest or attention. These factors are also theorised to be important in establishing a sense of presence, thus suggesting a relation between duration estimation and presence. An experiment was performed that employed a wayfinding task in a desktop virtual environment, using different types of wayfinding aids. Presence was measured using a short questionnaire. After the experiment, participants were asked whether they thought they had completed the wayfinding tasks in a short time. In addition, after each task they were asked to estimate the elapsed time interval in mm:ss. Results showed a significant positive correlation between the subjectively judged speed of task completion and the sense of presence, indicating that higher presence is associated with shorter experienced duration. No significant correlation was found between duration estimation (in mm:ss) and presence. These results are interpreted in terms of the potential underlying mechanisms, and suggestions for improving the experimental design will be discussed.