Search

Our work investigates the influence of self-related cues in the design of virtual humans on body perception in virtual reality. In a $2\times 2$ mixed design, 64 participants faced photorealistic virtual humans either as a motion-synchronized embodied avatar or as an autonomous moving agent, appearing subsequently with a personalized and generic texture. Our results unveil that self-related cues through embodiment and personalization yield an individual and complemented increase in participants' sense of embodiment and self-identification towards the virtual human. Different body weight modification and estimation tasks further showed an impact of both factors on participants' body weight perception. Additional analyses revealed that the participant's body mass index predicted body weight estimations in all conditions and that participants' self-esteem and body shape concerns correlated with different body weight perception results. Hence, we have demonstrated the occurrence of double standards through induced self-related cues in virtual human perception, especially through embodiment.

The concept of AI literacy, its promotion, and measurement are important topics as they prepare society for the steadily advancing spread of AI technology. The first purpose of the current study is to advance the measurement of AI literacy by collecting evidence regarding the validity of the Meta AI Literacy Scale (MAILS) by Carolus and colleagues published in 2023: a self-assessment instrument for AI literacy and additional psychological competencies conducive for the use of AI. For this purpose, we first formulated the intended measurement purposes of the MAILS. In a second step, we derived empirically testable axioms and subaxioms from the purposes. We tested them in several already published and newly collected data sets. The results are presented in the form of three different empirical studies. We found overall evidence for the validity of the MAILS with some unexpected findings that require further research. We discuss the results for each study individually and also together. Also, avenues for future research are discussed. The study's second purpose is to develop a short version (10 items) of the original instrument (34 items). It was possible to find a selection of ten items that represent the factors of the MAILS and show a good model fit when tested with confirmatory factor analysis. Further research will be needed to validate the short scale. This paper advances the knowledge about the validity and provides a short measure for AI literacy. However, more research will be necessary to further our understanding of the relationships between AI literacy and other constructs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: Traumatic childhood experiences are a major risk factor for developing mental disorders later in life. Over the past decade, researchers have begun to investigate the role of early trauma in impairments in personality functioning following the introduction of the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders in Section III of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 5. Although first studies were able to empirically demonstrate a significant link between early trauma and impairments in personality functioning, only little is known about the underlying mechanisms. One possible mechanism is body connection due to its involvement in self-regulatory processes and its link to both early trauma and personality (dys)functioning., Objective: In the current study, we investigated whether body connection, which encompasses the awareness, integration, and utilization of one's own bodily signals, mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and personality functioning., Participants and Setting: A total of 1,313 adult participants recruited in Germany and Chile anonymously provided self-report data in an online survey., Methods: Self-report data included the short form of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF), the Scale of Body Connection (SBC), and the brief form of the Levels of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS-BF 2.0) as well as demographic data (age, sex, education, clinical diagnoses)., Results: Traumatic childhood experiences explained 27.2% of the variance in impairments in personality functioning. Interestingly, 60.5% of this effect was explained by body connection, particularly body dissociation. Additional exploratory analyses revealed that body dissociation and, to a much lesser extent, body awareness, accounted for 64.41% of the variance in self functioning and 55.75% of the variance in interpersonal functioning explained by childhood trauma., Conclusion: Body connection appears to be an important mediator in the association between early trauma and impaired personality functioning, underscoring the need for interventions specifically targeting the avoidance and ignorance of signals from one's own body in individuals with traumatic childhood trauma., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Spatial User Interfaces along the Reality-Virtuality continuum heavily depend on accurate depth perception. However, current display technologies still exhibit shortcomings in the simulation of accurate depth cues, and these shortcomings also vary between Virtual or Augmented Reality (VR, AR: eXtended Reality (XR) for short). This article compares depth perception between VR and Video See-Through (VST) AR. We developed a digital twin of an existing office room where users had top erform five depth-dependent tasks in VR and VST AR. Thirty-two participants took part in a user study using a 1 × 4 within-subjects design. Our results reveal higher misjudgment rates in VST AR due to conflicting depth cues between virtual and physical content. Increased head movements observed in participants were interpreted as a compensatory response to these conflicting cues. Furthermore, a longer task completion time in the VST AR condition indicates a lower task performance in VST AR. Interestingly, while participants rated the VR condition as easier and contrary to the increased misjudgments and lower performance with the VST AR display, a majority still expressed a preference for the VST AR experience. We discuss and explain these findings with the high visual dominance and referential power of the physical content in the VST AR condition, leading to a higher spatial presence and plausibility.

Photorealistic avatars show great potential in social VR and VR collaboration. However, identity and privacy issues are threatening avatars' authenticity in social VR. In addition to the necessary authentication and protection, effective solutions are needed to convey avatars' authenticity status to users and thereby enhance the overall trustworthiness. We designed several visual indicators (VIs) using static or dynamic visual effects on photorealistic avatars and evaluated their effectiveness in visualizing avatars' authenticity status. In this study we explored suitable attributes and designs for conveying the authenticity of photorealistic avatars and influencing their perceived trustworthiness. Furthermore, we investigated how different interactivity levels influence their effectiveness (the avatar was either presented in a static image, an animated video clip, or an immersive virtual environment). Our findings showed that using a full name can increase trust, while most other VIs could decrease users' trust. We also found that interactivity levels significantly impacted users' trust and the effectiveness of VIs. Based on our results, we developed design guidelines for visual indicators as effective tools to convey authenticity, as a first step towards the improvement of trustworthiness in social VR with identity management.

Background: CBT has been found effective for the treatment of EDs and obesity. However not all patients achieve clinically significant weight loss and weight regain is common. In this context, technology-based interventions can be used to enhance traditional CBT but are not yet widespread. This survey therefore explores the status quo of pathways of communication between patients and therapists, the use of digital applications for therapy as well as attitudes towards VR from the perspective of patients with obesity in Germany., Methods: This cross-sectional online survey was conducted in October 2020. Participants were recruited digitally through social media, obesity associations and self-help groups. The standardized questionnaire included items concerning current treatment, paths of communication with their therapists, and attitudes toward VR. The descriptive analyses were performed with Stata., Results: The 152 participants were mostly female (90%), had a mean age of 46.5 years (SD = 9.2) and an average BMI of 43.0 kg/m² (SD = 8.4). Face-to-face communication with their therapist was considered of high importance in current treatment (M = 4.30; SD = 0.86) and messenger apps were the most frequently used digital application for communication. Participants were mostly neutral regarding the inclusion of VR methods in obesity treatment (M = 3.27; SD = 1.19). Only one participant had already used VR glasses as part of treatment. Participants considered VR suitable for exercises promoting body image change (M = 3.40; SD = 1.02)., Discussion: Technological approaches in obesity therapy are not widespread. Face-to-face communication remains the most important setting for treatment. Participants had low familiarity with VR but a neutral to positive attitude toward the technology. Further studies are needed to provide a clearer picture of potential treatment barriers or educational needs and to facilitate the transfer of developed VR systems into clinical practice., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Mixed Reality (MR) applications along Milgram's Reality-Virtuality (RV) continuum motivated a number of recent theories on potential constructs and factors describing MR experiences. This paper investigates the impact of incongruencies that are processed on different information processing layers (i.e., sensation/perception and cognition layer) to provoke breaks in plausibility. It examines the effects on spatial and overall presence as prominent constructs of Virtual Reality (VR). We developed a simulated maintenance application to test virtual electrical devices. Participants performed test operations on these devices in a counterbalanced, randomized 2x2 between-subject design in either VR as congruent or Augmented Reality (AR) as incongruent on the sensation/perception layer. Cognitive incongruence was induced by the absence of traceable power outages, decoupling perceived cause and effect after activating potentially defective devices. Our results indicate that the effects of the power outages differ significantly in the perceived plausibility and spatial presence ratings between VR and AR. Both ratings decreased for the AR condition (incongruent sensation/perception) compared to VR (congruent sensation/perception) for the congruent cognitive case but increased for the incongruent cognitive case. The results are discussed and put into perspective in the scope of recent theories of MR experiences.

Many studies show the significance of the Proteus effect for serious virtual reality applications. The present study extends the existing knowledge by considering the relationship (congruence) between the self-embodiment (avatar) and the virtual environment. We investigated the impact of avatar and environment types and their congruence on avatar plausibility, sense of embodiment, spatial presence, and the Proteus effect. In a 2×2 between-subjects design, participants embodied either an avatar in sports- or business wear in a semantic congruent or incongruent environment while performing lightweight exercises in virtual reality. The avatar-environment congruence significantly affected the avatar's plausibility but not the sense of embodiment or spatial presence. However, a significant Proteus effect emerged only for participants who reported a high feeling of (virtual) body ownership, indicating that a strong sense of having and owning a virtual body is key to facilitating the Proteus effect. We discuss the results assuming current theories of bottom-up and top-down determinants of the Proteus effect and thus contribute to understanding its underlying mechanisms and determinants.

A novel theoretical model recently introduced coherence and plausibility as the essential conditions of XR experiences, challenging contemporary presence-oriented concepts. This article reports on two experiments validating this model, which assumes coherence activation on three layers (cognition, perception, and sensation) as the potential sources leading to a condition of plausibility and from there to other XR qualia such as presence or body ownership. The experiments introduce and utilize breaks in plausibility (in analogy to breaks in presence): We induce incoherence on the perceptual and the cognitive layer simultaneously by a simulation of object behaviors that do not conform to the laws of physics, i.e., gravity. We show that this manipulation breaks plausibility and hence confirm that it results in the desired effects in the theorized condition space but that the breaks in plausibility did not affect presence. In addition, we show that a cognitive manipulation by a storyline framing is too weak to successfully counteract the strong bottom-up inconsistencies. Both results are in line with the predictions of the recently introduced three-layer model of coherence and plausibility, which incorporates well-known top-down and bottom-up rivalries and its theorized increased independence between plausibility and presence.

Background: The management of obesity requires lifestyle-based interventions covering nutrition, physical activity, and behavior. As part of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), body image therapy approaches can be used not only by psychotherapists. One tool to conduct behavioral therapy is virtual reality (VR). It is unknown, whether nutrition experts conduct behavioral therapy, and whether they would like to use VR technology as a tool to conduct body image therapy as part of obesity management., Objective: This survey aimed to collect data from nutrition experts treating people with obesity about the status quo regarding behavioral and body image therapy as part of obesity management, and regarding their attitude toward VR in obesity therapy., Methods: The survey was conducted online in autumn 2020. Participants were recruited digitally through expert and professional associations. The standardized questionnaire included items concerning sociodemographic, professional status, behavioral therapy, body image, and VR. The descriptive analysis was performed with Excel, the subgroup analyses with R., Results: Data from 158 nutrition experts was analyzed. Participants were mostly female (98/102, 96.1%) and had a mean age of 45.6 ± 11.3 years ( n = 101). Most of the survey participants (93/124, 75.0%) stated to use behavioral treatment methods in case of weight reduction as the primary target. More than half of the participants stated to address body image (99/150, 66.0%). Almost all (111/112, 99.1%) nutrition experts have never used VR-glasses. The suitability and importance of VR technology as part of obesity therapy was estimated as neutral by around 50%. Overall, no statistically significant difference could be shown between age groups regarding attitudes toward VR in obesity treatment., Conclusion: The results of this non-representative survey indicate that nutrition experts do not use VR technology in nutrition counseling sessions to treat obesity. In addition, survey participants have a positive attitude to VR technology, whereas they are not familiar with this technology. In future, VR technology might support nutrition experts of every age using elements of body image therapy., Survey Registration: The German Register of Clinical Studies (Registration Number: DRKS00022853)., Competing Interests: CH is a member of the scientific advisory board of the 4sigma GmbH (Oberhaching, Germany). The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Gemesi, Holzmann, Hochrein, Döllinger, Wienrich, Weinberger, Luck-Sikorski and Holzapfel.)

The value of a data representation is traditionally judged based on aspects like effectiveness and efficiency that are important in utilitarian or work-related contexts. Most multisensory data representations, however, are employed in casual contexts where creativity, affective, physical, intellectual, and social engagement might be of greater value. We introduce Move&Find, a multisensory data representation in which people pedalled on a bicycle to exert the energy required to power a search query on Google's servers. To evaluate Move&Find, we operationalized a framework suitable to evaluate the value of data representations in casual contexts and experimentally compared Move&Find to a corresponding visualization. With Move&Find, participants achieved a higher understanding of the data. Move&Find was judged to be more creative and encouraged more physical and social engagement-components of value that would have been missed using more traditional evaluation frameworks.

Users of mobile touch devices are often confronted with a great number of apps, challenging an efficient access to single applications. Especially when looking for infrequently used apps, users have to perform a visual search. We address this problem in two studies by applying knowledge about visual search efficiency to app icons on mobile touch devices. We aimed to transfer findings of similarity grouping for complex stimuli to a more applied setting and to investigate the effect of search efficiency on user experience. In Study 1 (N = 18), we varied set size and target presence as well as visual similarity between icons by color manipulation. Results indicated a highly efficient search when the target was easy to discriminate from the distractors and a less efficient search with increasing similarity. These results were replicated in a second, more realistic use case (N = 36). Regarding user experience, Study 2 showed that perceived usability and intuitiveness increased with search efficiency but that the overall liking also depended on the visual variety of the design. Moreover, although participants showed a general interest in a system supporting their search, most participants had concerns about data privacy with such a system. In conclusion, the results indicate that concepts and findings from basic attention research serve as fruitful heuristics for searches in more realistic (applied) settings. Furthermore, results showed that similarity manipulation with color works without controlling for other icon characteristics (e.g. luminance, shade). The findings might offer a new approach when designing for smooth interaction with mobile touch devices.

The notion of a singleton versus a feature search mode (Bacon & Egeth, 1994) in visual search is generally widely accepted. Yet Theeuwes (2004) claimed a different, potentially more parsimonious position. He suggested that the size of an attentional window is under top-down control and that salient distractors within this window capture attention. We report on four experiments. The first two experiments represent our various initial attempts to replicate the crucial Experiment 1 in the Theeuwes (2004) study, all of which were not successful. In Experiment 3, we showed that our distractor was able to yield attentional capture in a situation promoting the use of the singleton search mode (Bacon & Egeth, 1994). Experiment 4 was similar to Experiment 1 but incorporated further details that may account for the discrepant findings. Still, no attentional capture was found. In sum, it was not possible to replicate a crucial piece of evidence for the attentional window hypothesis, and our results are more consistent with the assumption of two different search modes.

The present study investigates the mental processes that are applied to previously attended items of working memory. In an object-switching task, participants counted the number of sequentially presented objects. In Experiment 1 the processing time increased when the object category switched from the prior trial compared to a repetition. More importantly, the further in the past the last instance of a current category was presented, the more processing time was necessary - an observation suggesting passive decay rather than inhibition of previously attended items. However, results differed when only two object categories were employed. Experiment 2 suggests that the lack of a clear indication of decay with small numbers of categories was due to participants' expectancy of category switches rather than repetitions. Taken together, the results suggest that working memory items become less accessible the longer they have not been attended to, when strategic processes are controlled.