Perceived control and immersion in AI chatbot interaction: a psychological distance perspective.

Introduction: This study investigates how perceived control shapes immersion in AI chatbot interaction through psychological distance. Drawing on psychological distance theory, we distinguish perceived interaction control, defined as users' perceived control over conversational flow, from perceived content control, defined as users' perceived control over generated content. We further examine how these two forms of perceived control contribute to reducing temporal, spatial, and social psychological distance in AI chatbot interaction. Methods: Survey data were collected from 338 AI chatbot users and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). PLS-SEM was used to examine the net effects among perceived control, psychological distance, and immersion, whereas fsQCA was used to identify alternative configurational pathways leading to high immersion. Results: The results show that perceived interaction control positively predicts perceived content control and contributes to reducing all three dimensions of psychological distance. Perceived content control further strengthens the reduction of temporal, spatial, and social psychological distance. Reduced temporal and social psychological distance are positively associated with immersion, whereas reduced spatial distance has no significant effect. The fsQCA results reveal multiple sufficient pathways to high immersion. Discussion: These findings extend psychological distance theory to the context of conversational AI and highlight perceived control as a key mechanism underlying immersive chatbot experiences. By distinguishing perceived interaction control from perceived content control, this study provides a more nuanced explanation of how users become immersed in AI chatbot interaction.