Presence, flow, and narrative absorption: an interdisciplinary theoretical exploration with a new spatiotemporal integrated model based on predictive processing

Presence, flow, narrative absorption, immersion, transportation, and similar phenomena are studied in many different disciplines, mostly in relation to mediated experiences (books, film, VR, games). Moreover, since real, virtual, or fictional agents are often involved, concepts like identification and state empathy are often linked to engaging media use. Through a scoping review we identify similarities in the wording of various questionnaire items conceived to measure different phenomena, categorize items into the most relevant psychological aspects, and use this categorization to propose an interdisciplinary systematization. Then, based on a framework of embodied predictive processing we present a new cognitive model of presence-related phenomena for mediated and non-mediated experiences, integrating spatial and temporal aspects and also considering the role of the media design. Key processes described within the model are: selective attention, enactment of intention, and interoception.