Abstract This study was the first to use virtual reality for disgust research and pursued two aims. First, we explored whether it was possible to induce disgust in a virtual environment. Second, we examined the relationship between food disgust sensitivity, presence (a psychological state of “being there”), and participants’ willingness to eat a food item after exposure to a virtual disgust cue. We asked 100 participants to eat chocolate and complete a tasting experiment within a virtual environment while wearing a head-mounted HTC Vive device. The control group (n = 50) saw a piece of chocolate appear in the virtual environment on a table in front of them before being asked to take and eat it. The disgust group (n = 50) saw a dog that walked across the table and stopped halfway to produce dog faeces that looked like a piece of chocolate. Subsequently, participants were asked to eat a real piece of chocolate. In both groups, participants were given the opportunity to refuse consumption. Participants in the experimental condition were more likely to refuse consumption than those in the control condition. Furthermore, in the experimental condition, we found that physical presence mediated the relationship between participants’ food disgust sensitivity and willingness to eat the chocolate. Our data suggested that virtual reality is a valid way to evoke disgust for the purposes of research and that people who are disgust sensitive have more difficulty ignoring virtual disgust cues than people who are less disgust sensitive.

中文翻译：

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厌恶敏感度与行为的关系：食物厌恶的虚拟现实研究

摘要 本研究首次将虚拟现实用于厌恶研究，并追求两个目标。首先，我们探讨了是否有可能在虚拟环境中引起厌恶。其次，我们研究了食物厌恶敏感度、存在感（“在场”的心理状态）与参与者在暴露于虚拟厌恶线索后吃食物的意愿之间的关系。我们要求 100 名参与者戴着头戴式 HTC Vive 设备在虚拟环境中吃巧克力并完成品尝实验。对照组（n = 50）看到一块巧克力出现在他们面前的桌子上的虚拟环境中，然后被要求吃掉它。厌恶组（n = 50）看到一只狗走过桌子，中途停下来产生看起来像一块巧克力的狗屎。随后，参与者被要求吃一块真正的巧克力。在两组中，参与者都有机会拒绝消费。实验条件下的参与者比对照条件下的参与者更可能拒绝消费。此外，在实验条件下，我们发现身体存在介导了参与者对食物的厌恶敏感性和吃巧克力的意愿之间的关系。我们的数据表明，出于研究目的，虚拟现实是唤起厌恶的有效方式，并且厌恶敏感的人比厌恶不那么敏感的人更难以忽视虚拟的厌恶线索。实验条件下的参与者比对照条件下的参与者更可能拒绝消费。此外，在实验条件下，我们发现身体存在介导了参与者对食物的厌恶敏感性和吃巧克力的意愿之间的关系。我们的数据表明，出于研究目的，虚拟现实是唤起厌恶的有效方式，并且厌恶敏感的人比厌恶不那么敏感的人更难以忽视虚拟的厌恶线索。实验条件下的参与者比对照条件下的参与者更可能拒绝消费。此外，在实验条件下，我们发现身体存在介导了参与者对食物的厌恶敏感性和吃巧克力的意愿之间的关系。我们的数据表明，出于研究目的，虚拟现实是唤起厌恶的有效方式，并且厌恶敏感的人比厌恶不那么敏感的人更难以忽视虚拟的厌恶线索。