Proteus effect

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The Proteus effect describes the phenomenon that a person's behavior in virtual worlds changes depending on the characteristics of their avatar . The reason for this is knowledge of the behavior that other users of the respective virtual environment typically associate with these properties. The name of the concept alludes to the mutability of the Greek god Proteus . The Proteus effect was first introduced in June 2007 by Stanford University scientists Jim Blascovich, Nick Yee and Jeremy Bailenson . It is an area of ​​research that deals with the behavioral changes associated with changes in the user avatar.

Overview

The Proteus Effect assumes that the visual characteristics of an avatar are related to certain behavioral stereotypes and expectations. If a person believes that others expect certain behaviors from the appearance of their avatar, they will adopt these behaviors. Evidence for the Proteus effect can be found in studies of real scenarios that show that certain physical characteristics, e.g. B. Attractiveness and height are related to positive social and professional effects. Furthermore, experimental influences on these properties in virtual environments show that the behavior shown reinforces these stereotypes.

These findings are part of the research field of behavioral analysis of people in computer-mediated communication . Although computer-mediated communication can take a variety of forms (e.g. text, audio, video, etc.), the Proteus Effect is particularly relevant when people interact through avatars. The effect is driven by the increased ability to determine one's own appearance in virtual environments. Virtual environments allow users to control many aspects of their appearance that cannot easily be changed in the real world (e.g. height, weight, facial features).

Theoretical background

Three psychological concepts that led to the development of the Proteus Effect are behavioral affirmation , self-awareness theory, and deindividuation .

Confirmation of behavior

Behavioral affirmation refers to the effects that a perceiver's actions can have on a person's resulting behavior. Specifically, this concept suggests that interacting with individuals who have pre-existing stereotypes will lead the target of those stereotypes to adopt behavior that confirms the viewer's expectations. The Proteus effect differs from behavior confirmation in that it does not take into account the actions of the viewer. Rather, it is about explaining how individual stereotypes and expectations change behavior regardless of social interactions.

Self-awareness theory

The theory of self-awareness states that people determine their attitudes and feelings by observing both their own behavior and the circumstances that lead to that behavior. It was originally introduced as an alternative to cognitive dissonance , which assumes that behavioral changes potentially result from an attempt to remove tension from conflicting behavior and beliefs. Also of importance to the development of the Proteus Effect were a number of self-perception theory studies that looked at behavior changes caused by wearing black, a color associated with negative concepts such as death and evil. In these studies by Mark G. Frank and Thomas Gilovich , participants rated NFL and NHL players who wore black uniforms as more aggressive on video. In addition, participants who were instructed to wear black jerseys expressed an increased preference for being aggressive towards opponents. The overarching argument in these studies was that the way participants perceived themselves (e.g., wearing a color that had negative associations) led them to adopt negative behaviors. The Proteus Effect transfers this thought to virtual environments in which people perceive themselves as their avatar, which in turn influences their behavior.

Deindividuation

Deindividuation describes a reduction in self-perception and self-assessment as a result of belonging to a group. People who experience deindividuation seem to be more influenced by identity cues . In a 1979 study by Robert D. Johnson and Leslie L. Downing, participants were instructed to give research assistants an electric shock while wearing either KKK disguise or a nurse's uniform. Depending on the costume worn, there were differences in the shock levels administered. According to Johnson and Downing, their results support the thesis that deindividuation increases the influence of these cues on the individual. In virtual environments it is assumed that the deindividuation is determined by the degree of anonymity that the virtual environment offers its users.

research results

Results of a study that compared the appearance and behavior of avatars in Second Life with the real behavior and appearance of their users confirm the Proteus effect. Participants who stated that they deliberately designed their avatar to be attractive also stated that they behaved more self-confident and more extroverted than in the real world.

The Proteus effect has also been linked to behavioral changes that reflect stereotypes associated with the appearance of the avatar. In a study by Jesse Fox, Jeremy N. Bailenson, and Liz Tricase, women were assigned avatars whose appearance was either highly sexualized or not at all . The participants wore a head-mounted display and were asked to stand in front of a virtual mirror in which the reflection of their avatar was visible. A virtual conversation followed with a male avatar controlled by the researchers. Women who used a sexualized avatar said they were more concerned about their body image . The researchers concluded that this finding supports the Proteus effect by showing that individuals internalized the sexualized aspects of their avatar's appearance , resulting in increased self-objectification. This conclusion is supported by a similar study in which women asked to put on a bathing suit expressed more body-related thoughts compared to women who were only asked to try on a T-shirt in front of a mirror.

Further support for the Proteus Effect can be found in a number of studies that have used avatars to encourage physical activity. In three studies, the results consistently showed that participants were more likely to increase their level of activity after watching an avatar engage with it and be rewarded for it. A key difference in this study is that the effects on the participants depended on how closely the avatar resembled the user. This difference was tested by assigning some participants an avatar based on a photo of their own face.

The Proteus effect has also been used to explain successful replications of the work of Frank and Gilovich (1988) and Johnson and Downing (1979). The results of two studies by Jorge Peña, Jeffrey T. Hancock and Nicholas A. Merola showed that people whose avatars wore black coats or clothing reminiscent of KKK uniforms increased the willingness to behave aggressively in a virtual environment. The researchers argued that negative associations with the appearance of the avatar changed participants' attitudes. They also suggested that in addition to self-awareness theory, priming could also explain the Proteus effect.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Nick Yee, Jeremy Bailenson: The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior . In: Human Communication Research . 33, No. 3, 2007, pp. 271-90. doi : 10.1111 / j.1468-2958.2007.00299.x .
  2. ^ Karen E. Dill-Shackleford: How Fantasy Becomes Reality: Information and Entertainment Media in Everyday Life, Revised and Expanded ( en ). Oxford University Press, December 1, 2015, ISBN 978-0-19-023931-2 .
  3. ^ The handbook of the psychology of communication technology . In: S. Shyam Sundar (Ed.): Handbooks in communication and media . Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, West Sussex, UK; Malden, MA 2015, ISBN 978-1-118-41336-4 .
  4. ↑ a b Mark Snyder, Elizabeth D. Tanke, Ellen Berscheid: Social perception and interpersonal behavior: On the self-fulfilling nature of social stereotypes. . In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology . 35, No. 9, 1977, ISSN  1939-1315 , pp. 656-666. doi : 10.1037 / 0022-3514.35.9.656 .
  5. ↑ Timothy A. Judge, Daniel M. Cable: The Effect of Physical Height on Workplace Success and Income: Preliminary Test of a Theoretical Model . In: Journal of Applied Psychology . 89, 2004, pp. 428-41. doi : 10.1037 / 0021-9010.89.3.428.x .
  6. ↑ a b c Nick Yee, Jeremy Bailenson, Nicolas Ducheneaut: The Proteus Effect: Implications of Transformed Digital Self-Representation on Online and Offline Behavior . In: Communication Research . 36, No. 2, 2009, ISSN  0093-6502 , pp. 285-312. doi : 10.1177 / 0093650208330254 .
  7. ^ J. Simpson: Computer-mediated communication . In: ELT Journal . 56, No. 4, 2002, ISSN  0951-0893 , pp. 414-415. doi : 10.1093 / elt / 56.4.414 .
  8. ^ Mark Chen, John A. Bargh: Nonconscious Behavioral Confirmation Processes: The Self-Fulfilling Consequences of Automatic Stereotype Activation . In: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology . 33, No. 5, 1997, ISSN  0022-1031 , pp. 541-560. doi : 10.1006 / jesp.1997.1329 .
  9. ^ Mark Snyder, William B Swann: Behavioral confirmation in social interaction: From social perception to social reality . In: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology . 14, No. 2, 1978, ISSN  0022-1031 , pp. 148-162. doi : 10.1016 / 0022-1031 (78) 90021-5 .
  10. ^ Daryl J. Bem: Self-Perception Theory . In: Leonard Berkowitz (Ed.): Advances in Experimental Social Psychology . tape 6 . Academic Press, 1972, pp. 1-62 , doi : 10.1016 / S0065-2601 (08) 60024-6 ( online ).
  11. ^ Daryl J. Bem: Self-perception: An alternative interpretation of cognitive dissonance phenomena. In: Psychological Review . tape 74 , no. 3 , 1967, ISSN  1939-1471 , pp. 183-200 , doi : 10.1037 / h0024835 .
  12. ^ A b Mark G. Frank, Thomas Gilovich: The dark side of self- and social perception: Black uniforms and aggression in professional sports. . In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology . 54, No. 1, 1988, ISSN  0022-3514 , pp. 74-85. doi : 10.1037 / 0022-3514.54.1.74 . PMID 3346809 .
  13. ^ A b Robert D. Johnson, Leslie L. Downing: Deindividuation and valence of cues: Effects on prosocial and antisocial behavior. . In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology . 37, No. 9, 1979, ISSN  0022-3514 , pp. 1532-1538. doi : 10.1037 / 0022-3514.37.9.1532 .
  14. ↑ T. Postmes, R. Spears: Breaching or Building Social Boundaries ?: SIDE Effects of Computer-Mediated Communication . In: Communication Research . 25, No. 6, 1998, ISSN  0093-6502 , pp. 689-715. doi : 10.1177 / 009365098025006006 .
  15. ^ Paul R. Messinger, Xin Ge, Eleni Stroulia, Kelly Lyons, Kristen Smirnov, Michael Bone: On the Relationship between My Avatar and Myself . In: Journal For Virtual Worlds Research . tape 1 , no. 2 , 2008, ISSN  1941-8477 , doi : 10.4101 / jvwr.v1i2.352 ( online ).
  16. ↑ Jesse Fox, Jeremy N. Bailenson, Liz Tricase: The embodiment of sexualized virtual selves: The Proteus effect and experiences of self-objectification via avatars . In: Computers in Human Behavior . 29, No. 3, 2013, ISSN  0747-5632 , pp. 930-938. doi : 10.1016 / j.chb.2012.12.027 .
  17. ↑ Diane M. Quinn, Rachel W. Kallen, Christie Cathey: Body on My Mind: The Lingering Effect of State Self-objectification . In: Sex Roles . 55, No. 11-12, 2006, ISSN  0360-0025 , pp. 869-874. doi : 10.1007 / s11199-006-9140-x .
  18. ↑ Jesse Fox, Jeremy N. Bailenson: Virtual Self-Modeling: The Effects of Vicarious Reinforcement and Identification on Exercise Behaviors . In: Media Psychology . 12, No. 1, 2009, ISSN  1521-3269 , pp. 1-25. doi : 10.1080 / 15213260802669474 .
  19. ↑ a b J. Peña, JT Hancock: The Priming Effects of Avatars in Virtual Settings . In: Communication Research . 36, No. 6, 2009, ISSN  0093-6502 , pp. 838-856. doi : 10.1177 / 0093650209346802 .