The Effects of Virtual Actions on Real World Behaviors
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Ballroom C/D
Start Date
16-5-2013
End Date
16-5-2013
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of virtual avatars on health behaviors in the real world. Previous research indicates that actions performed by a virtual avatar can result in behavioral changes in the person watching the avatar. In the current study, participants were undergraduate psychology students at Central Washington University. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups: 1) creating an avatar of themselves and exercising with it; 2) creating an avatar of themselves and not exercising with it; 3) using a control avatar and exercising with it; or 4) using a control avatar and not exercising with it. It was hypothesized that participants who had watched an avatar with an appearance similar to them exercise in a virtual reality would be inclined to engage in more healthy behaviors in the real world, such as eating less candy and planning to exercise more when compared to participants in the other three groups. In addition to measures of their inclination to healthy behaviors immediately after the manipulation, participants were asked about their agreement that the avatar looked like them (i.e., avatar copresence), their anxiety in working out (i.e., social physique anxiety), their typical reasons for exercising, and their activity levels 48- hours after the experimental manipulation .The results of this study should have implications for developing low-cost, online treatments or activities that can improve health-related behaviors.
Recommended Citation
Miller, Brian and Boozer, Kelly, "The Effects of Virtual Actions on Real World Behaviors" (2013). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 128.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2013/posters/128
Poster Number
48
Additional Mentoring Department
Psychology
Additional Mentoring Department
Psychology
Additional Mentoring Department
Psychology
The Effects of Virtual Actions on Real World Behaviors
SURC Ballroom C/D
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of virtual avatars on health behaviors in the real world. Previous research indicates that actions performed by a virtual avatar can result in behavioral changes in the person watching the avatar. In the current study, participants were undergraduate psychology students at Central Washington University. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups: 1) creating an avatar of themselves and exercising with it; 2) creating an avatar of themselves and not exercising with it; 3) using a control avatar and exercising with it; or 4) using a control avatar and not exercising with it. It was hypothesized that participants who had watched an avatar with an appearance similar to them exercise in a virtual reality would be inclined to engage in more healthy behaviors in the real world, such as eating less candy and planning to exercise more when compared to participants in the other three groups. In addition to measures of their inclination to healthy behaviors immediately after the manipulation, participants were asked about their agreement that the avatar looked like them (i.e., avatar copresence), their anxiety in working out (i.e., social physique anxiety), their typical reasons for exercising, and their activity levels 48- hours after the experimental manipulation .The results of this study should have implications for developing low-cost, online treatments or activities that can improve health-related behaviors.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Kara Gabriel, Terry DeVietti, Susan Lonborg