Towards an Investigation of Embodiment Time in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) allows us to embody any possible appearance using avatars. Previous work found that the visual appearance of an avatar can affect the user’s behavior – a phenomenon known as the Proteus effect. The illusory feeling of owning a virtual avatar – the body ownership illusion – modulates the Proteus effect. Prior investigations revealed that the time of how long users embody an avatar can affect the extent of the body ownership illusion, however, it is currently unknown whether and how behavioral changes caused by the Proteus effect are moderated by the embodiment time. Therefore, we are planning to conduct a study with 30 participants where we induce the Proteus effect using avatars of different perceived ages to evaluate the effect of embodiment time on walking speed. We hypothesize that the longer users embody an elderly avatar, the slower they will walk in VR. In this proposal, we suggest a study design to evaluate the effect of embodiment time on the body ownership illusion and behavioral changes caused by the Proteus effect in VR.