The Virtual Heart Illusion: An investigation into the effect of representing the heart in VR over the Sense of Embodiment, Interoceptive Sensitivity, and activity of the real heart
Authors
Cibulskis, Mantas ; Patras, Cristian
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-05-25
Pages
41
Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) can display parts of the body in immersive ways, but we still know little about how this affects our experience and bodily responses. This thesis examines what happens when people see a virtual heart beating in a VR environment. We measured three outcomes: sense of ownership (the feeling that what you see belongs to your own body), interoceptive sensitivity (how well you notice internal signals like your heartbeat), and actual heart activity. Nineteen participants took part in a within-subject experiment, meaning everyone experienced three conditions: (1) the virtual heartbeat was synchronized with their real heartbeat, (2) the virtual heartbeat was manipulated (deliberately changed relative to the real heartbeat), and (3) the virtual heartbeat followed a random pattern unrelated to the real heartbeat. The synchronized condition produced the strongest sense of ownership. In addition, lowering the virtual heart rate led to a decrease in participants’ real heart rate. These findings suggest that showing internal bodily signals in VR can influence both bodily self-perception and physiology, with potential for engaging experiences and future health-related applications that are still being explored.
Virtuel virkelighed (VR) kan vise dele af kroppen på en medrivende måde, men vi ved stadig lidt om, hvordan det påvirker vores oplevelse og kroppens reaktioner. Dette speciale undersøger, hvad der sker, når man i VR ser et virtuelt hjerte slå. Vi målte tre forhold: Sense of Ownership (følelsen af, at det, man ser, hører til ens egen krop), interoceptiv sensitivitet (evnen til at mærke indre signaler som hjerteslag) og den faktiske hjerteaktivitet. Nitten deltagere deltog i et indenfor-person design, hvor alle gennemgik tre betingelser: (1) det virtuelle hjerteslag var synkroniseret med deres rigtige hjerteslag, (2) det virtuelle hjerteslag blev manipuleret (bevidst ændret i forhold til det rigtige), og (3) det virtuelle hjerteslag fulgte et tilfældigt mønster uden sammenhæng med det rigtige. Den synkroniserede betingelse gav den stærkeste ejerskabsfølelse. Derudover førte sænkning af det virtuelle hjertes tempo til et fald i deltagernes reelle hjerterytme. Resultaterne tyder på, at visning af kroppens indre signaler i VR kan forme både kropslig selvopfattelse og fysiologi, med potentiale for engagerende oplevelser og fremtidige sundhedsrelaterede anvendelser, som stadig udforskes.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords
VR ; Heart ; Manipulations