Effects of Visual Stimuli on Perceived Sound Volume in Virtual Reality Spaces

Yuki Matsuda, Toma Kobayashi, Hiroki Watanabe, Keiichi Yasumoto: “Effects of Visual Stimuli on Perceived Sound Volume in Virtual Reality Spaces,” The 27th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCII '25), Vol.15788, pp.286-299, 2025.

Abstract

With the proliferation of affordable and high-performance virtual reality (VR) devices, VR content such as games and the metaverse is becoming increasingly widespread. In VR environments, users experience various sensory stimuli, primarily through visual and auditory cues. However, subjective perception of these stimuli varies based on user context. Existing studies have shown that auditory perception can be influenced by visual stimuli, however, most of them have focused on congruent audiovisual stimuli, leaving the effects of non-congruent pairings unexplored. This study investigates how visual stimuli, specifically color and crowdedness, influence perceived sound volume in VR. In the experiment that participants experienced VR environments with different room colors while listening to test tones, the results showed that warm colors led to higher perceived volume at low sound levels. Also, in the experiment that participants viewed VR scenes with varying crowd densities while hearing announcements, less crowded environments resulted in higher perceived sound volume. These findings suggest that visual context impacts auditory perception, providing insights for optimizing hearable devices and enhancing VR auditory experiences.

Links

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-93700-2_19

PDF: https://cocolab.jp/publication/files/202506_HCII_Kobayashi.pdf

BibTeX

code:references.bib

@article{bib:kobayashi_SubjectiveVolume_hcii2025,

author={Matsuda, Yuki and Kobayashi, Toma and Watanabe, Hiroki and Yasumoto, Keiichi},

title={Effects of Visual Stimuli on Perceived Sound Volume in Virtual Reality Spaces},

booktitle={Lecture Notes in Computer Science, The 27th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCII '25)},

volume={15788},

pages={286--299},

year={2025},

doi={10.1007/978-3-031-93700-2_19},

url={https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-93700-2_19}

}

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