The Psychology of Virtual Worlds

 

Welcome to the brave new world of understanding the power of virtual worlds: not only is it a great place for learning, for collaboration, for R&D, for prototyping, and data analysis, … but,  it is also able to impact us psychologically, behaviorally, and physically.

It is a medium where we truly extend ourselves and meld into the environment. As a result, organizations that use this environment need to begin to pay special attention to the psychology of design involved with the avatars used, as well as the interactive space of the virtual world. The psychology of the avatar and our interactions with others in the space is what creates presence… that all important and elusive element that builds trust and cooperation enabling collaborative efforts that transcend time and place in this hyper connected world.

This is an area that has not been focused on in the past in research, but one which is gaining importance and attention.

One paper on this issue was recently published in the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, Who am I - and if so, where? A Study on Personality in Virtual Realities by Benjamin Gregor Aas, Katharina Meyerbröker, Paul M. G. Emmelkamp (http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/article/download/777/707 ). This paper examined the stability of personality traits in virtual worlds and found that personality traits remained stable as users entered virtual worlds.

However, another study seems to suggest that attention needs to be paid to how we design our avatars, as their results seem to suggest that how we represent ourselves in virtual worlds affects our  behavior  in our physical world. (The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.134.6224&rep=rep1&type=pdf ) 

We become or behave like that which we “put on”, much like our behavior may change depending on the type of people with whom we associate. If we are affected by the behavior and life styles of friends of friends of friends (3 degrees of separation http://tinyurl.com/7fpamh ), how much more easily affected are we by stepping into an avatar that is an extension of ourselves with inherent feedback loop capability?

Another study published in the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research , The Effects of Avatar Appearance in Virtual Worlds, supports this idea and points out that one’s avatar’s appearance does indeed affect our behavior. (http://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/article/download/843/706 )

Further evidence of the mind seamlessly embracing virtual worlds and that possible feedback loop is the success and increased applications of psychological therapies in virtual worlds.   Psycho-therapy and various physical therapy treatments dealing with pain and burn patients would not be so successful in a 3D immersive environment if the mind did not reach out and immerse itself in the environment. In fact, the video “Snow Worlds” talks about how immersing the burn victim in the virtual world during therapy and bandage change is able to reduce the pain because the virtual environment is able to physically dampen the pain centers of the brain. In addition, Club One Island has done research to prove that engaging in a weight reduction and physical fitness program in a virtual environment actually leads to behavioral changes that result in weight loss.

Virtual worlds or 3D immersive environments are a powerful medium that is not a brick and mortar space that does not touch who we are. Virtual worlds are nebulous spaces that allow our minds to extend themselves as never before. The mind wants to reach out into its environment as known by any who have ever used a stick to explore a dark hole and can “feel” what the end of the stick touches. Virtual environments and the avatars that inhabit them are extensions of ourselves and we need to be mindful of this as we design these incredibly powerful spaces that are becoming more commonly used in today’s educational, organizational, and personal lives.

Much more research needs to be done in this area, and it is not one to be taken lightly.

 

Beverly Gay McCarter has her M.S. in Counseling Psychology and Human Systems, her M.F.A. in Fine Art, and is published in the field of complex systems.  Working in virtual environments, she focuses on the psychology of creating the avatar and designing virtual environments.

Additional Resources:

• Online Therapy Institute's Trainings Receive BACP Endorsement! - http://shar.es/0PMV8
• New research on use of online resources by male adult survivors of abuse - http://shar.es/0PMTq
• Info about impact of avatar on individual  http://www.onlinetherapyinstitute.com/second-life/
• Coming Home _ Veteran’s Healing Space: www.cominghomecenter.org
• Telehealth and Technology_Psychological applications: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqr_BygETSs
• Not a Game: Inside Virtual Iraq  (READ THE STORY: http://tinyurl.com/5npux5)    Some scenarios from Virtual Iraq, a virtual-reality simulation used to treat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Virtual Iraq is adapted from the video game Full Spectrum Warrior. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6kl2BuhKmM
• Snow Worlds – pain management through immersion in virtual worlds; Article and video: http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/11/snow-world-virtual-reality-used-to-treat-burn-patients.
• Club One Island Weight Loss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SswlXujVUxk .  Club One Island is a virtual health world focused on changing behavior to improve lives. Club One Island combines cognitive behavioral, gaming and social-networking elements with a rich sensory experience for the greatest impact on personal habits. Club One Island is the first of many immersive digital environments from Club One, one of the premier fitness club networks in California. Learn more about Club One Island at www.cluboneisland.com or Facebook.com/cluboneisland .

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[Maggie Darwin]

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." --Vonnegut, "Mother Night"