Extensive research has examined presence and basic psychological needs (drawing on Self-Determination Theory) in digital media. While prior work offers hints of potential connections, we lack a systematic account of whether and how distinct presence dimensions map onto the basic needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. We surveyed 301 social VR users and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. Results show that social presence predicts all three needs, while self-presence predicts competence and relatedness, and spatial presence shows no direct or moderating effects. Gender and age moderated these relationships: women benefited more from social presence for autonomy and relatedness, men from self- and spatial presence for competence and autonomy, and younger users showed stronger associations between social presence and relatedness, and between self-presence and autonomy. These findings position presence as a motivational mechanism shaped by demographic factors. The results offer theoretical insights and practical implications for designing inclusive, need-supportive multiuser VR environments.

翻译：已有大量研究探讨了数字媒体中的临场感与基本心理需求（基于自我决定理论）。尽管先前的研究暗示了二者之间可能存在联系，但对于不同的临场感维度是否以及如何映射到自主性、能力感和关联性这三种基本需求，我们仍缺乏系统性的解释。我们对301名社会VR用户进行了调查，并采用结构方程模型进行分析。结果显示：社交临场感能够预测所有三种需求；自我临场感能够预测能力感和关联性；而空间临场感则未显示出直接或调节效应。性别与年龄对这些关系具有调节作用：女性在自主性与关联性方面更多受益于社交临场感，男性在能力感与自主性方面更多受益于自我与空间临场感；年轻用户则表现出社交临场感与关联性之间、以及自我临场感与自主性之间更强的关联性。这些发现将临场感定位为一种受人口统计学因素影响的动机机制。研究结果为设计包容性、支持需求满足的多用户VR环境提供了理论洞见与实践启示。