Embodiment and Personalization for Self-Identification with Virtual Humans

• Published in: 2023 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW) pp. 799 - 800
• Main Authors: Fiedler, Marie Luisa, Wolf, Erik, Dollinger, Nina, Botsch, Mario, Latoschik, Marc Erich, Wienrich, Carolin
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.03.2023
• Subjects: Avatars; Conferences; Design methodology; embodiment; Empirical studies in HCI; Human-centered computing-HCI design and evaluation methods; Mirrors; personalization; self identification; sense of embodiment; Task analysis; Three-dimensional displays; User interfaces; virtual human; Virtual Reality
• DOI: 10.1109/VRW58643.2023.00242

Our work investigates the impact of virtual human embodiment and personalization on the sense of embodiment (SoE) and self-identification (SI). We introduce preliminary items to query self-similarity (SS) and self-attribution (SA) with virtual humans as dimensions of SI. In our study, 64 participants successively observed personalized and generic-looking virtual humans, either as embodied avatars in a virtual mirror or as agents while performing tasks. They reported significantly higher SoE and SI when facing personalized virtual humans and significantly higher SoE and SA when facing embodied avatars, indicating that both factors have strong separate and complimentary influence on SoE and SI.