Preliminary Investigation of Self-Reported Emotional Responses to Approaching and Receding Footstep Sounds in a Virtual Reality Context

The emotional impact of approaching and receding sounds sources studies has previously been studied in seated laboratory experiments in with and without accompanying visual stimulus. This paper investigates the emotional responses to approaching and receding footstep sounds in an interactive virtual reality using a head-mounted display, 24-channel surround audio and a novel walking-in-place device utilizing acoustic detection of the user's input. Based on self-reports using the Self-Assessment Manikin, the subjects gave post-experiment evaluations of 7 seconds long footstep sequence approaching and receding from outside of the participants field of view. The participants’ sensation of presence is also studied using a SUS questionnaire. The results showed that approaching footsteps sequences in the beginning of the experiments were found to elicit a higher level of arousal than receding footsteps in the beginning of the experiment and during the times when there were no footstep sequences.