Abstract
Advanced binaural auralizations are expected to increase immersion and realism of audiovisual virtual environments. Indeed, a previous study found that binaural renderings resulted in higher ratings of social presence during localization tasks in a virtual seminar room. The present study investigates whether head-tracked binaural renderings affect audiovisual realism, presence, and affective reactions during stressful tasks. A group of 78 participants completed in virtual reality a psychosocial stress test consisting of a job talk and interview questions. Audio manipulations (between-subject) included binaural (individual vs. generic head-related-impulse-responses) and diotic auralizations. We expected higher visual attention, higher social presence, and stronger affective reactions for binaural in comparison to diotic auralizations. The virtual stress test evoked a profound stress reaction in all three audio conditions. While the auralizations differed concerning externalization ratings, no effects on gaze behavior, realism, presence, stress, or affective reactions were found. Higher presence was associated with higher levels of stress and anxiety. Our results suggest that highly immersive spatialization of speech may not be crucial for investigating stress during virtual interactions.