Presence and Flow: A heuristic framework to inform theory and design

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Presence and Flow A heuristic framework to
inform theory and design
Linda Greenwood Temple University ICA 2003
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Presence

• Presence in the real world constitutes a basic
  state of consciousness
• Presence in the virtual, computer-mediated worlds
  is defined by Lombard and Ditton (1997) as the
  illusion of non-mediation.
• Conceptual confusion leads to difficulty in
  theory development

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Flow Theory

• Flow is a construct that emerged from research
  into intrinsic motivation.
• It is a psychological state in which the
  individual is fully engaged and involved in an
  activity that is intrinsically enjoyable.
• Csikszentmihalyi, considered the father of flow
  theory, describes a flow experience as one of
  complete psychological and affective
  immersionthe optimal experience

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The Flow Experience

• My mind isnt wandering. I am not thinking of
  something else. I am totally involved in what I
  am doing.
• My concentration is like breathing. I never
  think of it
• I am so involved in what I am doing. I dont see
  myself as separate from what I am doing

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Presence and Flow

• evoke feelings of being transported into a new
  reality
• involve interaction with the environment
• involve states of consciousness

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Presence, Flow and Immersion

• Presence requires a minimal response to immersion
• Flow involves a high level response to immersion
• Flow refers to an optimal state of immersed
  concentration in which attention is centered,
  distractions are minimized

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Presence, Flow, and Attention

• Consciousness is shaped by what we attend to
• Presence is a basic sense of being present in an
  environment that requires attention to aspects of
  the environment
• Flow is a state of effortless concentrationa
  merging of action and awareness

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Millions of items of the outward order are
present to my senses which never properly enter
into my experience. Why? Because they have no
interest for me. My experience is what I agree to
attend to. Only those items that I notice shape
my mindwithout selective interest, experience is
an utter chaos (Vol. 1, p. 402).  (William
James as quoted in Edwards, D.C., p. 297)
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A Dual Processing Framework

• To understand how presence and flow operate in a
  virtual environment, a dual processing framework
  is needed
• Different states of consciousness require
  parallel structures and cognitive processes

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System Interaction

• The experiential system encodes certain
  events/objects
• When similar events are encountered, the
  experiential system makes a determination, based
  on associative emotions, whether or not further
  processing will occur
• If the activated feelings associated with the
  event/object are pleasant, they often motivate
  further processing and more developed cognitive
  schemas

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Presence, Flow and Consciousness

• To evoke a basic state of presence in a virtual
  environment, sensory information activates
  existing pre-conscious schemas of experiences of
  me-in-the-world
• To evoke a flow experience requires new conscious
  construction of schemas and a super-presence
  that requires ever-increasing complexity

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Presence Conceptualized as a Flow Experience

• Merging of the self and experience
• A heightened sense of awareness
• Being fully present in the moment
• The optimal experience

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Factors related to flow in a web-based environment

• Merging of action and awareness
• (Engagement of both the pre-conscious
  experiential and conscious rational information
  processing systems)
• Concentration
• Sense of control
• Time distortion
• Presence

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Presence, Involvement and Emotion

• Presence is neither involvement or emotion
  (Slater, 2003)
• Involvement and emotion, in some contexts are
  strongly related to presence (Botella, 2003)
• Although involvement and emotion are not the same
  as presence, they are required determinants of
  state of presence

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• We cannot consciously exist in any world without
  a minimal level of both involvement and emotion.
• Flow is a state of conscious awareness in which
  involvement and emotion are at peak levels

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A flow state contributes to increased learning
and to changes in attitude and behavior
(Skadberg, 2002)
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Research aimed at understanding the relationship
of presence and flow

• Will facilitate the design of virtual
  environments conducive to learning
• Will determine whether Flow is an extension of
  presence
• Will explain which dimensions of presence are
  most important in a flow experience