How Avatars Influence User Behavior

The Impact of Avatar and Environment Congruence on Plausibility, Embodiment, Presence, and the Proteus Effect in Virtual Reality

“…In our work, the moderating effect of VBO on the relation between avatar type and exercise performance was also based on an interindividual and not on the manipulation level, as we kept bottom-up influences constant between conditions [54]. We suspect the characteristics of the participants themselves to have been an important factor influencing the cognitive processing of the avatar's visual properties, such as self-similarity [62], which in turn have been named a determinant of the Proteus effect [42], also in physical activity [34]. For future work, we recommend controlling for the similarity between the used avatars and the individual participant, e.g., by capturing self-identification as suggested by Fiedler et al [15].…”

“…The top-down information comes from cognitive processing of the avatar's visual properties, such as selfsimilarity [15,62] and realism [28]. Thus, avatar embodiment integrates several different perceptual and cognitive processes, which can modulate emotional responses [18], influence the perception of the virtual avatar's body [10,70], or act reciprocally on our behavior as described by the Proteus effect [42,45]. In the presented study, we did not explicitly manipulate the SoE from the bottom up, as we aimed to keep the embodiment configuration, determined by our technical system [54], constant between the conditions.…”

“…However, with great power comes great responsibility, as the Proteus effect may also lead to unfavorable or unintended behavior changes, like the activation of negative thoughts [39]. Recent reviews summarized multiple studies with various applications, manipulating avatar characteristics and reporting behavioral and attitudinal changes reflecting the Proteus effect [42,45]. For example, various research has investigated the impact of different avatar attributes related to sportiness or athleticism on users' exercise behavior.…”

“…Recent explanatory approaches assume that the Proteus effect is stronger if the user feels closer to the avatar [45]. Factors affecting this user-avatar bond are typically those directly dependent on users' interindividual differences and the avatars' characteristics like self-similarity or wishful identification, and highlevel VR-specific qualia describing users' subjective VR experience like the SoE and spatial presence [42]. This is in line with the overview of Wienrich et al [63], presenting possible VR-related features affecting human behavior changes.…”

“…The present study extends the existing knowledge about the Proteus effect by considering the relationship (congruence) between the self-embodiment (avatar) and the environment. Thereby, it contributes to understanding the underlying mechanisms and determinants of the Proteus effect and its great potential for safe and effective serious VR applications [42,45].…”