Self-Presence In Virtual Environments

Leo YeykelisPh.D. Candidate, Communication,

Stanford University

Motivation

Motivation

Self-presence

• Conceptual definition:– “a psychological state in which virtual self/selves

are experienced as the actual self in either sensory or nonsensory ways.” (Lee, 2004)

– “broadly defined as the extent to which some aspect of a person’s…self is relevant during media use.” (Ratan, 2010)

Out of Body Experience

• Conceptual definition:– “the experience in which a person who is awake

sees his or her body from a location outside the physical body” (Ehrsson, 2007)

– also referred to as “moving a human centre of awareness from one body to another” and “body swapping” (Petkova, 2008)

Self-presence or OBE?

Current Works

Ehrsson, 2007

Current Works

Ratan & Hasler, 2010

Current Works

Slater et al., 2010

Current Works

Petkova & Ehrsson, 2008

My Study

• Replication of Petkova & Ehrsson (2008), with the following modifications:– Immersive VR instead of mannequin– Addition of no touch condition– Added self-presence and spatial presence

measures

Measures

• Petkova & Ehrsson’s 7 point Likert questionnaire

• Modified Ratan’s “Proto Self-Presence” questions

• VHIL self-presence and spatial presence questionnaire

Implications

• OBE = self-presence? • Gender• Touch significantly improves inducing an out

of body experience, but only if it is synced with the virtual touch

• But…is touch (in the physical world) necessary?

Follow-up Studies

• Behavioral DVs– Physio responses to “threatening” objects (e.g.

virtual spear), another avatar’s touch, temperature shifts (e.g. virtual fire), avatar’s foot movement

• Avatar modifications– mimics the participants movements (sync vs. async),

looks like the participant, 3rd person vs. 1st person• Ideas/feedback

Q & A