Are You What Your Avatar Eats? Health-Behavior Effects of Avatar-Manifested Self-Concept

Sah, Young June; Ratan, Rabindra; Tsai, Hsin Yi; Peng, Wei; Sarinopoulos, Issidoros

doi:10.1080/15213269.2016.1234397

Cited by 35 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…antisocial behavior (Peña, Hancock, & Merola, 2009;Yoon & Vargas, 2014), food choice (Fox, Bailenson, & Binney, 2009;Sah, Ratan, Sandy Tsai, Peng, & Sarinopoulos, 2016), physical exercise (Li, Lwin, & Jung, 2014;Peña, Khan, & Alexopoulos, 2016;Peña & Kim, 2014), racial bias (Aviles, 2017;Peck, Seinfeld, Aglioti, & Slater, 2013), body dissatisfaction (Fox, Bailenson, & Tricase, 2013;Sylvia, King, & Morse, 2014), financial risk-taking (Hershfield et al, 2011), consumer choices (Ahn & Bailenson, 2011), math performance (Lee, Nass, & Bailenson, 2014;Ratan & Sah, 2015), student engagement , and creative thinking (Buisine, Guegan, Barré, Segonds, & Aoussat, 2016;de Rooij, van der Land, & van Erp, 2017;Guegan, Buisine, Mantelet, Maranzana, & Segonds, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

Avatar characteristics induce users’ behavioral conformity with small-to-medium effect sizes: a meta-analysis of the proteus effect

et al. 2019

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2019): Avatar characteristics induce users' behavioral conformity with small-to-medium effect sizes: a metaanalysis of the proteus effect, Media Psychology, ABSTRACTOver a decade of research on the Proteus effect in numerous contexts suggests that people conform in behavior and attitudes to their avatars' characteristics. In order to provide clarity about the reliability and size of the Proteus effect, a metaanalysis was conducted with 46 quantitative experimental studies in which avatars with specific characteristics were randomly assigned to participants. Results indicate a relatively consistent effect size (between .22 and .26, depending on subset of studies examined) and nearly all variance explained. Unexplained variance differed between studies that used behavioral or attitudinal measures, while studies which examined potential moderators explained all variance. Overall, this research suggests that the Proteus effect is a reliable phenomenon, with a small-but-approaching-medium effect size according to a traditional rule of thumb, but is relatively large compared to other digital media effects examined in previous meta analyses. ARTICLE HISTORY

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confidence: 99%

Avatar characteristics induce users’ behavioral conformity with small-to-medium effect sizes: a meta-analysis of the proteus effect

et al. 2019

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“…Other researchers have argued that the effect is due to the priming of schema associated with the avatar's characteristics [11]. In our own work, we have suggested an approach that falls between these explanations, positing that the simultaneous priming of self-related and avatar characteristic-related schema creates associations between the schema that then influence self-perception and thus performance [17]. But regardless of the causal mechanisms, the extent to which the avatar is perceived as relevant to the self has been found to moderate the strength of such effects [18].…”

Section: Avatar Use Effectsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Introducing Avatarification: An Experimental Examination of How Avatars Influence Student Motivation

Ratan

Rikard

Wanek

et al. 2016

2016 49th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS)

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While gamification has been studied, applied, and sometimes contested within a variety of contexts (especially education and business), the concept of avatarification -the utilization of virtual selfrepresentations within a mediated environment -is relatively new and has great potential for enhancing learning contexts. Building on previous work which suggests that people behave consistently with their avatars' characteristics, the present research aims to develop an understanding of how avatars can be integrated into student communication in ways that increase performance motivation. In a field experiment conducted with an undergraduate class, 229 participants used avatars to communicate over a 15-week period about class material. Results suggest that using an ideal-self avatar or superhero-student avatar augmented student performance motivation during the avatar-use task, but the superhero-student avatar unexpectedly hindered performance motivation in a task unrelated to avatar use. This suggests novel theoretical and practical implications for avatar use in education.

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“…The independent variables (IVs) in this study were categorical: (a) avatar character (assigned/customized) and (b) perception of self (ideal/actual (Abel et al, 2013; Bailey, Wise, & Bolls, 2009; Sah, Ratan, Tsai, Peng, & Sarinopoulos, 2017). The dependent variables (DVs) included the following continuous variables: (a) risk perception (b) self-efficacy and (c) HPV vaccine intention.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Customization of Avatars in a HPV Digital Gaming Intervention for College-Age Males: An Experimental Study

Darville

Lewis

Stellefson

et al. 2018

Simulation & Gaming

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Background.Digital games are increasingly popular among college age men and present themselves as an ideal platform to deliver HPV interventions. Customizing avatars in role playing games encourage intrinsic motivation in the learning process because of self-representation. Proteus Effect research suggests that the representations people make are an adaption of their actual/ ideal self and dictate how one conforms to the expectations and identity cues of their avatar. Objective/Purpose: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a digital gaming intervention aimed at increasing HPV risk perceptions, self- efficacy and behavioral intention to receive the HPV vaccine among college age men (18 - 26). Methods. This randomized control trial employed a 2 X 2 fully-crossed between subjects and tested the effects of avatar characters (assigned/customized) and perception of self (ideal/actual) on HPV risk perception, HPV vaccine self-efficacy and behavioral intent to receive the HPV vaccine. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Results. A Factorial ANOVA with repeated measures and a between subjects’ factor (split plot) was used to test for the differences between the means of the outcome variables. Despite having no main or interaction effect our analysis did report a significant main effect of using a pre-post design with the experiment as a stimulus. Discussion/Conclusion. For experimental data, customizing an avatar to look like one’s actual self increases risk perception for the HPV virus and self – efficacy for the HPV vaccine whereas customizing an avatar to look like one’s ideal self increases one’s intent to receive the HPV vaccine.

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Are You What Your Avatar Eats? Health-Behavior Effects of Avatar-Manifested Self-Concept

Cited by 35 publications

References 9 publications

Avatar characteristics induce users’ behavioral conformity with small-to-medium effect sizes: a meta-analysis of the proteus effect

Avatar characteristics induce users’ behavioral conformity with small-to-medium effect sizes: a meta-analysis of the proteus effect

Introducing Avatarification: An Experimental Examination of How Avatars Influence Student Motivation

Customization of Avatars in a HPV Digital Gaming Intervention for College-Age Males: An Experimental Study

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