Measuring the Psychological and Physiological Responses of Humans Experiencing Sacred Architectural Space in XR: a Case Study at the Monastery of Simonos Petra

Abstract

This dissertation argues that it is possible to characterize, both qualitatively and quantitatively, human emotional responses to sacred architecture, and that XR is an effective way to achieve this characterization. This research is driven by a systematic architectural method devised to Scan, Visualize, Simulate immersive experiences and Test humans in XR (SvStXR). Moreover, using self-reporting questionnaires, sensory data, debriefing, and eye-tracking data, the research shows that specific forms of enrichment of the XR (virtual) environment – aural and visual – have measurable impacts on these experiences. Through a high-quality XR protocol -- consisting of the experimental procedure, data collection, and data analysis -- the research achieves assessments of different parametrically-manipulated conditions of light, sound, texture and scale at Simonos Petra Monastery in Greece, and compares these assessments to the lived experience of monks in the physical sacred space. These assessments were possible through the introduction of novel metrics for data analysis that utilized the questionnaire data, GSR Mean Score and Accelerometer Sum of Absolute Differences (SAD score) to numerically support qualitative observations influenced by spatial and human factors. Through user studies at three different locations – at Simonos Petra, MIT, and the Hellenic College Holy Cross in Brookline, MA – 100 participants were exposed to AthosXR, the immersive experience of the interior of the monastery’s church. This dissertation also has the potential to contribute to future projects attempting to use XR environments as a laboratory for better understanding the impact of architectural space on spatial perception. Beyond the value of this research for architects and designers, this work addresses a number of audiences: XR practitioners and scholars, scientists in environmental studies, psychologists seeking information about space, its ambient conditions, and human emotions.