Realistic virtual reality and perception

Abstract

Realistic uses of Virtual Reality (VR) technology closely integrate user training on virtual objects with VR-assisted user interactions with real objects. This paper shows how the Interactive Theory of Perception (ITP) may be extended to cover such cases. Virtual objects are explained as concrete models (CMs) that have an inner generation mechanism, and the ITP is used to explain how VR users can both perceive such local CMs, and perceptually represent remote real objects. Also, concepts of modeling and representation are distinguished. The paper concludes with suggestions as to how the ITP methodology developed here could be extended to iconic external representations and models generally.

Keywords:

• Concrete Modeling
• Perception
• Perceptual Representation
• Representation
• Virtual Reality

Acknowledgements

My thanks to the editor and two anonymous referees at Philosophical Psychology, and to Dylan Sabo, for very helpful comments on earlier versions.

Notes

Note

[1] For which credit is due to my colleague Dylan Sabo, who suggested this approach to me, and convinced me of its feasibility.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John Dilworth

John Dilworth is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Western Michigan University.