What Makes Us Feel (Tele)Present? A PRISMA Systematic Review of Psychological Factors

As virtual environments become increasingly integrated into everyday life, understanding the sense of presence within mediated settings becomes crucial. This systematic review examines psychological factors shaping susceptibility to (tele)presence, organizing them by effect robustness. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 4587 articles were identified across major databases (e.g., PsycInfo, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar). After independently screening 4191 abstracts and 1981 full-texts, 69 studies were included in the final review and qualitative quality assessment. A narrative synthesis of empirical research highlighted the complexity and heterogeneity of the relationship between presence and psychological factors, including the roles of immersion and flow. Six clusters of psychological factors emerged as facilitators or inhibitors: individual, cognitive, emotional, perceptual, motivational, and social variables. However, the prevalence of cross-sectional designs limited causal inference, and contrasting evidence suggested potential mediating variables. Longitudinal studies are required to clarify these relationships and refine the conceptual definitions.

随着虚拟环境愈发深度融入日常生活，理解中介化情境下的临场感（presence）感知变得至关重要。本系统综述聚焦于塑造（远程）临场感易感性的心理因素，并依据效应稳健性对其进行分类整理。本研究遵循系统综述与Meta分析优先报告条目（PRISMA）指南，在主流数据库（如PsycInfo、PubMed、Science Direct、Google Scholar）中检索到4587篇文献。经独立筛选4191篇摘要与1981篇全文后，最终纳入69项研究用于本次综述及定性质量评价。对实证研究的叙述性综合分析揭示了临场感与心理因素之间关联的复杂性与异质性，其中包括沉浸感（immersion）与心流（flow）的作用。最终归纳出六类可作为临场感促进或抑制因素的心理因子：个体变量、认知变量、情绪变量、知觉变量、动机变量与社会变量。但横断面研究设计的广泛应用限制了因果推断，且存在相悖的研究证据提示存在潜在的中介变量。未来需开展纵向研究以明确上述关联，并完善相关概念的定义。