Associate Professor Makoto Otani of Kyoto University, Graduate Student of Kiritsutsuna, and Professor Wataru Teramoto of Kumamoto University have spatial information of sounds related to the existence of others in order to feel the reality of others (the feeling of being there). It was revealed that it was indispensable.

 In a virtual reality (VR) environment such as a teleconferencing, whether or not others feel "being there" (realism, social presence) is an important factor in maintaining the quality of communication.Not only visual clues, but also auditory spatial information about where the sounds of others come from are thought to affect the sense of reality, but the extent of the effect was not clear.

 Therefore, in this research, in order to verify the effect that the spatial information of the sound of others creates a sense of reality, we used the so-called binaural reproduction, an auditory VR technology, as if there was no one in reality. We built a VR environment that can present the sound as if there were people in the room.As an index of realism, we used the "Social Simon Effect (SSE)", which is a behavioral transformation that occurs only when we perceive that there are adjacent co-actors.After excluding visual information, we investigated how the presence or absence of spatial information of sounds emitted by co-actors affects the induction of SSE by psychophysical experiments.

 As a result, SSE was recognized when there was auditory spatial information related to the existence of others, even in the absence of visual clues.On the other hand, SSE was not induced when auditory cues relating to the presence of others were presented without spatial information.In other words, it was suggested that in order to feel the reality of others, it is indispensable to be able to perceive where the sounds of others are heard.

 This knowledge is expected to be a stepping stone to explore what the sound environment should be in order for the experience in the VR environment to convey the presence of human beings and to be closer to the experience in the real environment.

Paper information:[Scientific Reports] Spatial auditory presentation of a partner's presence induces the social Simon effect

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Foster a free academic style based on the spirit of "self-respect for self-weight" and open up a world of creative learning.

With the motto of self-study, we will continue to maintain a free academic style that is not bound by common sense, and develop human resources who have both creativity and practical ability.We provide an inclusive learning space that allows for diverse and hierarchical choices so that students themselves can choose a solid future through valuable trial and error. […]

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Kumamoto University, which has a long history and tradition of more than 130 years, has set "Human resources development that can" Global Thinking and Local Action "by inheriting the spirit of Tsuyoshi Kiyoshi since the old system of Goko" in its educational strategy.A new creative "knowledge" was born and raised for a bright future, any [...]

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