Similarities and Differences between Immersive Virtual Reality, Real World, and Computer Screens: A Systematic Scoping Review in Human Behavior Studies

In the broader field of human behavior studies, there are several trade-offs for on-site experiments. To be tied to a specific location can limit both the availability and diversity of participants. However, current and future technological advances make it possible to replicate real-world scenarios in a virtual environment up to a certain level of detail. How these differences add up and affect the cross-media validity of findings remains a topic of debate. How a virtual world is accessed, through a computer screen or a head-mounted display, may have a significant impact. Not surprisingly, the literature has presented various comparisons. However, while previous research has compared the different devices for a specific research question, a systematic review is lacking. To fill this gap, we conducted this review. We identified 1083 articles in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Following screening, 56 articles remained and were compared for a qualitative synthesis to provide the reader a summary of current research on the differences between head-mounted displays (HMDs), computer screens, and the real world. Overall, the data show that virtual worlds presented in an HMD are more similar to real-world situations than to computer screens. This supports the thesis that HMDs are more suitable than computer screens for conducting experiments in the field of human behavioral studies.