Towards an Altered Body Image Through the Exposure to a Modulated Self in Virtual Reality

Self-exposure using modulated embodied avatars in virtual reality (VR) may support a positive body image. However, further in-vestigation is needed to address methodological challenges and to understand the concrete effects, including their quantification. We present an iteratively refined paradigm for studying the tangible effects of exposure to a modulated self in VR. Participants perform body-centered movements in front of a virtual mirror, encountering their photorealistically personalized embodied avatar with increased, decreased, or unchanged body size. Additionally, we propose different body size estimation tasks conducted in reality and VR before and after exposure to assess participants' putative-elicited perceptual adaptations.