Cognitive Archaeology in Virtual Environment

The integration of Virtual Reality (VR) and Extended Reality (XR) has significantly transformed the working methods of archaeologists, enabling experts to explore artifacts in a controlled virtual environment without altering them. However, it may differ when XR technologies are used compared to real-world experiences. This paper introduces a workflow that generates standardized eye-tracking and behavioral data, allowing for a comparison between real and virtual modalities. A user study of visual exploration of an artifact based on this workflow is presented to identify biases in the use of VR tools for archaeology. The paper also outlines ongoing work to explore virtual interactions, such as representing missing or hidden parts of archaeological materials, to study their influence on user behavior. XR offers promising opportunities for enhancing the understanding and interactions with cultural heritage, but further research is needed to extend and refine these methods to ensure they provide a relevant archaeological experience.