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Demand characteristics challenge effects in embodiment and presence
Pierre-Pascal Forster1,2, Harun Karimpur1,2, Katja Fiehler3,4
1Experimental Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
Scientific Reports
|August 18, 2022
Summary
Demand characteristics and suggestibility confound embodiment and presence research. Participants in virtual reality (VR) studies often guess research hypotheses, impacting results. Addressing this is crucial for accurate scientific interpretation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Virtual Reality (VR) Research
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Embodiment, the sense of owning and being in a body, is vital for daily actions but challenging to assess.
- Existing embodiment measures may be confounded by demand characteristics and participant suggestibility.
- Understanding these confounds is critical for reliable VR research and application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of demand characteristics on embodiment and presence.
- To compare embodiment and presence measures between an online experiment and a virtual reality (VR) experiment.
- To assess the influence of suggestibility on embodiment ratings.
Main Methods:
- Compared an online experiment (viewing a VR experiment video) with a direct VR experiment (soap-bubble-kicking task).
- Manipulated temporo-spatial movement synchrony (synchronous vs. asynchronous) and avatar visibility (visible vs. invisible).
- Assessed participants' expectations and suggestibility.
Main Results:
- Experimental manipulations affected embodiment and presence ratings similarly in both online and VR settings.
- Embodiment ratings were significantly influenced by individual suggestibility.
- Participants demonstrated awareness of research hypotheses, indicating demand characteristics confound findings.
Conclusions:
- Demand characteristics pose a significant challenge to the validity of embodiment and presence research in VR.
- Participant awareness of hypotheses can skew experimental results.
- Mitigating demand characteristics is essential for accurate interpretation and application of VR research findings.
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