Do Presence Questionnaires Actually Measure Presence? A Content Analysis of Presence Measurement Scales

Abstract

Il the field of virtual and augmented reality environments, presence is usually defined as the feeling of being in one place or environment even when you are physically located in another. The main question of this contribution is: do presence questionnaires actually measure presence? This article proposes a critical analysis of measuring the experience of presence in immersive environments on the basis of a content analysis of the items of 38 presence measurement scales. This contribution is based on a literature review of original presence questionnaires. The aim is to conduct an analysis of academic publications proposing the creation of a scale for measuring presence funded on an examination of the validity of content of the items of the questionnaires. In conclusion, this article highlights the lack of relevant presence conceptualization and appropriate items in presence questionnaires because of several inconsistencies existing between the definition of this concept and the dimensions and items used in the literature.