Persuasive Effects of Immersion in Virtual Environments for Measuring Pro-Environmental Behaviors

In this study, we investigated the effects of immersive vs. non-immersive virtual environment (VE) platforms (i.e., head mounted display (HMD) vs. laptop PC) on compliance with pro-environmental behaviors. We performed a detailed analysis of the effects of these VE platforms on other variables, such as task performance, sense of presence, and simulator sickness. We also explored the factors, such as participants’ gender and immersive tendency that could have influenced the effects of VE platforms. In a between subject design, 100 participants were randomly assigned to interact with either a desktop or an HMD. The results showed no significant effects of VE platforms on compliance with pro-environmental requests, task performance, and sense of presence. However, the HMD elicited higher simulator sickness compared to the desktop display. In addition, we demonstrated there was a strong relationship between participants’ immersive tendency and the presence that they experienced. Our findings provide empirical evidence capable of helping researchers select an appropriate VE platform when investigating the influence of behavioral interventions aim to promote sustainable behaviors.