Reducing the Proteus Effect in Virtual Reality: A Mental and Acting Approach
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Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Eurographics Association
Abstract
The Proteus effect in virtual reality (VR) refers to how users' behaviors align with their avatar's appearance, often reinforcing stereotypes. While this effect can enrich VR experiences, it also risks unintended stereotype reinforcement. This study explores methods to enhance and mitigate the Proteus effect by applying a ''Mental and Acting Protocol'' before avatar embodiment, involving Introduction, Mental Imagery, and Acting stages. In a controlled experiment with 68 participants embodying elderly avatars, walking speed was used as a behavioral measure. Results showed no significant differences across conditions, underscoring challenges in consistently replicating the Proteus effect. These findings offer insights for refining VR priming techniques to manage stereotype-driven behaviors.
Description
@inproceedings{10.2312:egve.20241393,
booktitle = {ICAT-EGVE 2024 - International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence and Eurographics Symposium on Virtual Environments - Posters and Demos},
editor = {Tanabe, Takeshi and Yem, Vibol},
title = {{Reducing the Proteus Effect in Virtual Reality: A Mental and Acting Approach}},
author = {Kimura, Erika and Genay, Adelaide and Nakano, Kizashi and Hirao, Yutaro and Perusquía-Hernández, Monica and Narumi, Takuji and Uchiyama, Hideaki and Kiyokawa, Kiyoshi},
year = {2024},
publisher = {The Eurographics Association},
ISSN = {1727-530X},
ISBN = {978-3-03868-246-2},
DOI = {10.2312/egve.20241393}
}