We explored how viewing one’s anthropometric virtual avatar would affect the viewer’s self-body perception through the comparative evaluation of self-concepts—self-esteem and self-compassion, within the framework of allocentric lock theory. We recruited 18 female adults, aged 18–21, who identified themselves to have some level of body image concerns, and who had had no clinical treatment for their body image. Participants were randomly assigned either to the experimental or control group. The experimental group participated in both body positivity program and virtual avatar program, whereas the control group attended the body positivity program, only. The results affirmed that the body positivity program served as a psychological buffer prior to the virtual avatar stimulus. After the virtual avatar experience, the participants demonstrated self-acceptance by lowering their expectation on how they should look like. The findings from exit interviews enriched the quantitative results. This study verified the mechanism of the altered processing of the stored bodily memory by the egocentric sensory input of virtual avatars, and offered practical potential of the study outcomes to be applied in various emerging fields where novel applications of virtual 3D technology are sought, such as fashion e-commerce.

中文翻译：

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虚拟化身体验如何与自我概念相互作用：在视觉刺激过程中使用人体测量 3D 身体模型

我们在异中心锁理论的框架内，通过对自我概念——自尊和自我同情的比较评估，探讨了观看一个人的人体测量虚拟化身将如何影响观看者的自我身体感知。我们招募了 18 名年龄在 18-21 岁之间的女性成年人，她们认为自己有一定程度的身体形象问题，并且她们的身体形象没有接受过临床治疗。参与者被随机分配到实验组或对照组。实验组同时参加了身体积极计划和虚拟化身计划，而对照组只参加了身体积极计划。结果证实，身体积极性计划在虚拟化身刺激之前充当了心理缓冲。虚拟化身体验后，参与者通过降低他们对自己应该是​​什么样子的期望来表现出自我接纳。离职面谈的结果丰富了定量结果。本研究通过虚拟化身的以自我为中心的感官输入验证了存储身体记忆的改变处理机制，并提供了研究结果的实际潜力，可应用于寻求虚拟 3D 技术新应用的各种新兴领域，例如时尚电商。