Speaker
Description
The studies presented examine how changes in bodily representation and identity-related features can influence self-perception and moral standards. The embodiment illusion—the sensation of owning and controlling a virtual avatar—typically arises through synchronous body movements, a first-person perspective, and the avatar’s appearance. Modulating these parameters can affect psychophysiological responses. This raises a key question: can such modifications also impact users’ sense of responsibility in virtual events?
We first demonstrated that embodying an avatar resembling the Christian God—an omnipotent agent within Christianity-rooted cultures—can shift self-perceptions of personal limits and capabilities, fostering a sense of increased strength and invulnerability. Building on this, we explored effects on moral conflict resolution, given God's cultural role as an ultimate moral authority. In an initial study using text-based moral dilemmas, embodiment had no significant effect on resolution type (deontological vs. utilitarian), decision time, moral judgments, or physiological responses—likely due to the abstract nature of the task and limited immersion.
To overcome these limitations, a follow-up study presented immersive versions of the Trolley and Footbridge dilemmas, requiring participants to act within the scene. In the God-avatar condition, participants exhibited heightened skin conductance responses during decision-making in the Footbridge scenario, suggesting greater emotional engagement and possibly an increased sense of moral responsibility. Notably, those who made a utilitarian choice—pushing one individual to save five—rated their action as more morally acceptable than those in the human-avatar condition. These findings highlight virtual embodiment as a potential tool for exploring and shaping moral cognition.
| If you're submitting a symposium talk, what's the symposium title? | Senso di responsabilità: quando l’azione si fa coscienza |
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| If you're submitting a symposium, or a talk that is part of a symposium, is this a junior symposium? | Yes |
