DEGREE PROJECT IN MEDIA TECHNOLOGY, SECOND CYCLE, 30 CREDITS STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN 2019 The implicit and explicit memory of static and interactive objects in virtual reality PETRA OLSSON KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE The implicit and explicit memory of static and interactive objects in virtual reality ABSTRACT Virtual reality applications are developing fast and break new grounds every day in new industries. In today's market, most of the virtual reality projects are funded by venture capitalists and are yet to produce any revenue. For an advertiser to be willing to advertise they must see some sort of value or possibility to receive revenue out of the intended commercial. Memory is a common measure of influence from a commercial. Therefore, this thesis aim was to investigate if the memory, in terms of implicit and explicit memory, was affected by objects with different levels of interaction in virtual reality. A user study was conducted where the participants were instructed to go through several virtual rooms, where they were exposed to static, semi- interactive and interactive objects in the categories fruits/vegetables and beverage cans. The static objects were presented as pictures on instruction boards, the semi-interactive objects were presented through point-and-click tasks, and the interactive objects were presented through tasks that utilized body movements in virtual reality. When the participants were finished with the virtual reality application, they conducted a survey regarding their experiences and was asked to fill out three memory tests; a word-fragment completion task, a cued recall test, and a recognition task. Results show that interactive and semi-interactive objects in virtual reality did have a significant impact on explicit memory, and that the static objects did not. For implicit memory a conclusion could not be drawn whether the objects in the virtual environment had any impact due to no significant difference between the study participants and the control group without influence of the study as a result of not enough data. The results from the study were vastly different for fruits/vegetables and beverage brands, where results for the fruits/vegetables had a clear distinction and the beverage brands had almost no significant data, which could be due to “Inattentional blindness”. Det implicita och explicita minnet av statiska och interaktiva objekt i en virtuell verklighet SAMMANFATTNING Virtuella verklighets (Virtual reality) applikationer utvecklas snabbt och bryter ny mark varje dag i nya industrier. På dagens marknad, så är de flesta virtuella verklighets projekten finansierade av riskkapitalister och är fortfarande i ett läge där de inte producerar intäkt. For att marknadsförare ska vara villiga att investera måste de se någon potential i att få intäkter från den avsedda reklamen. Minne, är ett vanligt mått för att mäta påverkan av en reklam. Därav var avsikten for denna avhandling att undersöka om minnet, i form av implicit och explicit minne, blev påverkat av objekt med olika nivåer av interaktion i en virtuell verklighet. Ett användartest utfördes där deltagare blev instruerade att gå genom flera virtuella rum, där de blev exponerade för statiska, semi-interaktiva och interaktiva objekt i kategorierna frukter/grönsaker och dryckesmärken. De statiska objekten representerades som bilder på en statisk instruktionstavla, dom semi-interaktiva objekten representerades genom en peka-och- klicka uppgift, och de interaktiva objekten var representerade genom uppgifter som utnyttjade kroppsrörelser i en virtuell verklighet. När deltagarna fullföljt den virtuella verklighets applikationen fick de fylla i en enkät angående deras upplevelser, samt fylla i tre minnes test; ett ord-fragmentkompletterings test, ett indikation återkallelsetest, och ett igenkännings test. Resultaten visar på att de interaktiva och de semi-interaktiva objekten i den virtuella verkligheten hade en signifikant påverkan på det explicita minnet, samt att de statiska inte hade det. För de implicita minnet kunde inga slutsatser dras huruvida objekten i den virtuella verkligheten hade någon inverkan på grund av ingen signifikant skillnad mellan studiedeltagarna och kontrollgruppens resultat som en efterföljd av otillräckliga data. Resultaten från studien hade olika utfall för frukter/grönsaker och dryckesmärken, där resultaten för frukter/grönsaker hade en klar distinktion, medan dryckesmärkena hade nästan ingen signifikant data, vilket kan bero på ”Ouppmärksam blindhet” (Inattentional blindness). The implicit and explicit memory of static and interactive objects in virtual reality Petra Olsson Division of Media Technology and Interaction Design EECS, Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden [email protected] ABSTRACT market, most of the VR projects are funded by venture capitalists and are yet to produce any revenue [31]. The ones who have already Virtual reality applications are developing fast and break new managed to publish their product on the market tend to use a grounds every day in new industries. In today's market, most of the payment up front or a subscription fee to produce revenue [7]. This virtual reality projects are funded by venture capitalists and are yet gives the market a narrow economic space to operate within, and as to produce any revenue. For an advertiser to be willing to advertise the market is expanding, it will likely search for new possibilities they must see some sort of value or possibility to receive revenue to raise money. The most presumable solution will likely be out of the intended commercial. Memory is a common measure of advertising, and it was only recently that advertisements in the form influence from a commercial. Therefore, this thesis aim was to of static billboards started taking place within the VR world [26]. investigate if the memory, in terms of implicit and explicit memory, was affected by objects with different levels of interaction in virtual As of 2014, more and more high-performance VR devices aimed reality. A user study was conducted where the participants were towards the consumer market have been announced [2]. The market instructed to go through several virtual rooms, where they were is forecasted to 6 million VR device unit shipments during 2019, exposed to static, semi-interactive and interactive objects in the with an estimated shipment of 4,7 million in 2018 and 3,7 million categories fruits/vegetables and beverage cans. The static objects shipped units in 2017 [28]. Also, in 2017, VR consumer software were presented as pictures on instruction boards, the semi- had a revenue of $554 million, where games accounted for about interactive objects were presented through point-and-click tasks, 55% of that [29]. and the interactive objects were presented through tasks that For an advertiser to be willing to advertise they must see some sort utilized body movements in virtual reality. of value or possibility to receive revenue out of the intended When the participants were finished with the virtual reality commercial. Memory is a common measure of influence from a application, they conducted a survey regarding their experiences commercial: “Advertisers and those who measure the impact of and was asked to fill out three memory tests; a word-fragment advertising are obsessed with memory. If advertising is to be completion task, a cued recall test, and a recognition task. Results successful, it must stick in the consumer’s memory—or so the show that interactive and semi-interactive objects in virtual reality saying goes” - David Brandt [3]. We can primarily divide the did have a significant impact on explicit memory, and that the static human memory into two categories, implicit (information that we objects did not. For implicit memory a conclusion could not be are not consciously aware of) and explicit (the facts and events that drawn whether the objects in the virtual environment had any we can consciously access). Nelson [22] proposed that increasing impact due to no significant difference between the study brand awareness is one of the goals of product placement, and that participants and the control group without influence of the study as a suitable measure for effectiveness would be to look upon explicit a result of not enough data. The results from the study were vastly memory-based measures such as recognition and recall. But different for fruits/vegetables and beverage brands, where results implicit memory has also been proposed as an important concept in for the fruits/vegetables had a clear distinction and the beverage advertising research [6]. Since explicit memory tests only can brands had almost no significant data, which could be due to reveal effects of conscious retrieval of an advertisement, implicit “Inattentional blindness”. memory effects are important as well. Even consumers purchase decisions could be influenced not only by conscious processes, but Key words by unconscious processes, especially at the time of purchase [6]. Virtual Reality; Implicit memory; Explicit memory; Advertising; An act of memory depends on the impression perceived from the act, the kind of intensity it had and the associations that could be 1. INTRODUCTION made from it. There are several different impressions that can be Virtual reality (VR) applications are developing fast and break new made, such as visual, auditory, motor, tactual, gustatory and grounds every day in new industries such as the automotive olfactory [16]. Additional sensory input can increase the memory industry, healthcare, retail, tourism, real estate, education etc. [30]. of objects in a VR environment [5]. Creating a product placement VR is being adopted and utilized in many new industries but have in a VR game, where the user can not only interact with the objects had a special impact on the gaming industry where the players are but also increase their multi-sensory input of the object could boost enabled to be immersed in a game in a new way [8]. In today's the chance of the user remembering it. But also utilize the 1 possibilities that VR provides beyond billboards and static 2.1.2 Recall and recognition of objects and words advertisements.