Shaping Ownership in Augmented Reality: The Impact of Annotation Control on Psychological Ownership and Collaboration

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) has emerged as a transformative technology, reshaping the way we interact, collaborate, and perceive our surroundings. This dissertation delves into the intricate dynamics of psychological ownership within AR collaborative workspaces, focusing on the influence of annotation control capabilities. Through a series of controlled experiments using the HoloMentor system, this study examines how different levels of annotation control shape Individual and Collective Psychological Ownership (IPO and CPO) across blended workspaces. The research investigates the mediating and moderating roles of five dimensions of psychological ownership (possession, control, identity, responsibility, and territoriality) and explores how CPO mediates the relationship between annotation control and group processes. Key findings reveal that parallel annotation control consistently fosters the strongest sense of CPO while decreasing IPO across all blended workspace types. A notable spillover effect demonstrates that control over virtual annotations influences ownership perceptions beyond the immediate virtual environment. The comprehensive path analysis uncovers contrasting mechanisms through which parallel and full control influence CPO and collaboration outcomes. In parallel control scenarios, CPO emerges primarily through heightened responsibility, while in full control scenarios, it develops through a stronger sense of personal connection and identification with the task. The study also reveals a paradoxical relationship between individual control and CPO in shared environments, where the increased individual sense of control can sometimes attenuate the positive effect of parallel control on CPO. Furthermore, the research demonstrates that CPO significantly mediates the relationship between annotation control and various group process outcomes, particularly in collaboration quality, performance, and satisfaction. This mediation analysis highlights the importance of fostering CPO in enhancing collaboration, while also revealing that different control modes may be optimal for different aspects of group processes. This research contributes to both theory and practice in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). It extends our understanding of psychological ownership in AR collaboration, illuminating the complex interplay between system features, psychological factors, and group performance. Additionally, it provides practical design guidelines for creating AR collaboration tools that foster CPO and enhance outcomes. By bridging theoretical insights with design implications, this dissertation advances the development of effective and satisfying AR collaborative systems.