Phenomenological Properties of Perceptual Presence: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Approach

> Context . Perceptual presence is the experience wherein veridical objects are experienced as belonging to an observer-independent world. > Problem . Experimental investigations of perceptual presence are rare. It may be that the standard conceptualizations of perceptual presence are not suitable for experimental operationalization. > Method . Using the framework of constructivist grounded theory, three observational perspectives (engaged, nearecological, and receptive) are employed to discern method-invariant phenomenological properties of perceptual presence. Inductive coding is used as a main analytical instrument. > Results . Four phenomenological properties of perceptual presence are constructed: perceptually present objects (a) appear inexhaustible in the amount of modal detail they contain; (b) are experienced as a particular arrangement of lived space; (c) allow for some and preclude other bodily interactions; and (d) are marked by a specific feeling of coupling. > Constructivist content . Perceptual presence is conceived of as one of the main properties of consciousness: it is the experience of objects as belonging to an observer-independent world. Phenomenological properties contributing to how this sense of veridicality is constructed are presented.