From Perception to Cognition: How Latency Affects Interaction Fluency and Social Presence in VR Conferencing

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) conferencing has the potential to provide geographically dispersed users with an immersive environment, enabling rich social interactions and user experience using avatars. However, remote communication in VR inevitably introduces end-to-end (E2E) latency, which can significantly impact user experience. To clarify the impact of latency, we conducted subjective experiments to analyze how it influences interaction fluency from the perspective of quality perception and social presence from the perspective of social cognition, comparing VR conferencing with traditional video conferencing (VC). Specifically, interaction fluency emphasizes user perception of interaction pace and responsiveness and is assessed using Absolute Category Rating (ACR) method. In contrast, social presence focuses on the cognitive understanding of interaction, specifically whether individuals can comprehend the intentions, emotions, and behaviors expressed by others. It is primarily measured using the Networked Minds Social Presence Inventory (NMSPI). Building on this analysis, we further investigate the relationship between interaction fluency and social presence under different latency conditions to clarify the underlying perceptual and cognitive mechanisms. The findings from these subjective tests provide meaningful insights for optimizing the related systems, helping to improve interaction fluency and enhancing social presence in immersive virtual environments.