Embodying nature in immersive virtual reality: Are multisensory stimuli vital to affect nature connectedness and pro-environmental behaviour?

Abstract

One discussion in the context of education for sustainable development centres on the importance of cognitive as well as affective processes for promoting pro-environmental behaviour. In our study, we investigate how affordances of immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) such as the virtual embodiment of a tree might provide new opportunities to achieve this goal. The aim of our study was twofold: Firstly, we investigated whether multisensory enhancement of iVR has an additional, supporting effect on mechanisms that are vital to fostering nature connectedness and pro-environmental behaviour compared to non-enhanced iVR. Secondly, we examined the relationships between mediating variables to explain the underlying mechanisms of how nature connectedness and pro-environmental behaviour can be promoted through iVR. In our experimental design (N = 82), we tested the effects of multisensory enhancement of embodying nature in immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) compared to non-enhanced iVR on the processes considered vital to promoting pro-environmental behaviour: a) embodiment, b) perspective-taking, c) reflection on the relationship between oneself and nature, and d) connectedness to nature. According to self-reported measures, participants developed a feeling of embodiment and were able to change their perspective by stepping into the tree's point of view. Users also succeeded in situating the tree's experience into the greater context, often reflecting on the role of humankind towards nature. However, we found that multisensory iVR does not lead to an additional increase in nature connectedness, but is associated with a higher level of taking action and slightly more reflective processes. We propose a preliminary path-model that summarises the observed findings. Our results contribute to the small but growing body of research that evidences the effects of taking the perspective of non-sentient beings through iVR on nature connectedness and pro-environmental behaviour.