Investigating Message Exposure: Michigan State University Develops “Emotional Billboard” VR Study with Vizard and SightLab VR Pro

‍Client: Michigan State University in collaboration with various research institutions

Use Case: Understanding the Causal Chain in Message Reception using VR and Eye-Tracking

Researchers from Michigan State University and affiliated institutions have developed a VR-based paradigm to investigate the causal chain from message exposure to reception to retention. The study leverages immersive virtual reality (VR) and eye-tracking technology in combination with WorldViz Vizard and SightLab VR Pro, to provide a realistic context for message reception and to quantify the impact of attentional factors on message processing and memory.

Researchers Involved:

• Ralf Schmälzle
• Sue Lim
• Gary Bente
• Monique Mitchell Turner
• Hee Jung Cho
• Moonsun Jeon
• Xiaoran Cui

The research comprises a series of studies examining the dynamics of message reception in VR environments. The platform is used to explore key questions about effective messaging, such as the impact of message features, audience characteristics, and levels of distraction. For instance, one study assesses how targeted messages are retained under varying real-world conditions, another study expands the messaging context from a highway with billboards to busy city environments. This research provides valuable insights to optimize messaging strategies for immersive digital experiences.

Participant wearing VR Headset with Eye-Tracking-Integration

Experimenter View: Highway with Billboards and Gaze Data

Study Overview:

1. Examining the Exposure-Reception-Retention Link in Realistic Communication Environments via VR and Eye-Tracking: The VR Billboard Paradigm
   • Objective: To measure actual exposure to messages and link it to reception and retention in a realistic VR environment, addressing the limitations of previous screen-based and field studies.
   • Methodology: Participants drove down a virtual highway while their gaze and fixations on billboards were recorded using the HP Omnicept Pro VR headset with integrated binocular eye tracking.
   • Key Findings:
     • Incidental memory for messages varies based on gaze behavior.
     • Attentional demands manipulated experimentally impact gaze behavior and memory retention.
       
       
2. Eyes on VR: Unpacking the Causal Chain Between Exposure, Reception, and Retention for Emotional Billboard Messages
   • Objective: To examine the entire causal chain of message exposure, reception, and retention using a VR simulation of a highway flanked by billboards with emotional content.
   • Methodology: Participants’ incidental exposure to billboard messages was captured using VR-integrated eye trackers while they performed a secondary task (trash-counting) to simulate real-world distractions.
   • Key Findings:
     • Exposure is the gateway to subsequent message effects.
     • Distraction decreases the likelihood of message exposure.
     • Both emotional content and distraction levels significantly affect message retention.

Software Utilized:

The studies utilized WorldViz SightLab VR Pro, an experiment generator software designed to complement Vizard, a comprehensive VR software for researchers. SightLab VR Pro offers:

• Intuitive GUI: Configure experiments using a simple graphical user interface, with no coding required. Extensions with built-in scripting are also available.
• Immersive Environment Building: Build and edit 3D models/360 media and user interaction tools.
• Interactive Playback: Explore data with visualizations like heatmaps, scan paths, eye tracking metrics, and more.
• Multi-User Capabilities: Facilitate collaborative research by allowing multiple participants to interact within the same virtual space simultaneously.

Implications for Communication Research:

The findings from these studies underscore the importance of measuring actual exposure and its impact on message reception and retention in realistic environments. By using VR and eye-tracking, researchers can obtain micro-level insights into how messages are processed and remembered, offering valuable implications for health, political, and commercial communication strategies.

Future Research:

The team at Michigan State is currently conducting multiple studies using this paradigm, focusing on key communication topics like message targeting, advertising effectiveness, and persuasion more broadly. They’re also expanding the scope of the VR environments from a relatively simple highway lined with billboards (an actual photogrammetric version of Highway 50 in Nevada) to more complex messaging environments like a virtual city, or other outdoor advertising settings. Integrating more complex VR functions, such as haptic interactions, could further enhance the ecological validity and applicability of this research.

Contact us at sales@worldviz.com to discuss how WorldViz VR lab solutions can help you achieve your academic research goals.

• Schmälzle, R., Lim, S., Cho, H. J., Wu, J., & Bente, G.. (2023). Examining the exposure-reception-retention link in realistic communication environments via VR and eye-tracking: The VR billboard paradigm. PlosOne. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291924
• Cho, H.-J., Lim, S., Turner, M., Bente, G., & Schmälzle, R. (2024). Eyes on VR: Unpacking the Causal Chain Between Exposure, Reception, and Retention for Emotional Billboard Messages. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.19.604208