The Impact of Augmented Reality Technology on Sport Spectators’ Psychological and Behavioral Responses: The Role of Sensitization and Habituation

The advancement of augmented reality (AR) technology is significantly altering the way of sport spectatorship. The current study explored how diverse consumer groups adapt and escalate their experiences in AR spectatorship by integrating the dual-process theory of habituation, and sensitization and selective attention processes. The authors analyzed NFL matches with AR features by using 2 (broadcasting type: AR vs. non-AR) × 2 (highlight length: brief vs. prolonged) × 2 (sport involvement: high vs. low) between-subject experimental study. Results indicated that the highly involved group experienced habituation by watching a prolonged AR highlight, while the lowly involved group experienced sensitization by watching both prolonged and brief AR highlights. The study contributes to the media technology and consumer behavior literature by exploring the visual sensory system that causes different responses between user groups. The results also provide an effective guideline to managers by suggesting an important reference for an optimal level of AR exposure duration.