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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Virtual Real.
Sec. Virtual Reality and Human Behaviour
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frvir.2024.1445725
This article is part of the Research Topic Virtual and Robotic Embodiment View all 4 articles

Height of the first-person perspective affects the out-of-body experience illusion

Provisionally accepted
Chiharu Toi Chiharu Toi 1Akira Ishiguchi Akira Ishiguchi 2Shu Imaizumi Shu Imaizumi 3*
  • 1 Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2 Faculty of Core Research, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
  • 3 Institute for Education and Human Development, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Bodily illusions have been used to investigate one’s sense of self and body ownership. This study explored the effect of the height of the first-person perspective (1PP) on out-of-body experience (OBE) illusion in which participants see their backs through a head-mounted display, receive visuo-tactile stimulation, and gradually feel as if they are sitting behind themselves, experiencing a sensation similar to an OBE. We hypothesized that increasing or decreasing the height of the 1PP would induce the OBE illusion at all heights and that participants’ perceived own heights would adjust according to the 1PP height. We also predicted that the size and distance of external objects would vary according to the perceived height of one’s own body. The results revealed that the OBE illusion occurred at all 1PP heights and was stronger when the 1PP height was lower or higher than usual. Meanwhile, the participants’ perceived own heights, the sizes and distances of external objects did not change. These results suggest that manipulating the 1PP may affect the magnitude of the OBE illusion, but not the perception of the dimensions of the self or external objects. The height of 1PP may be one of the important factors in the bodily illusion.

    Keywords: Bodily illusion, out-of-body experience, first-person perspective, Self Location, visuotactile integration, virtual reality

    Received: 08 Jun 2024; Accepted: 02 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Toi, Ishiguchi and Imaizumi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Shu Imaizumi, Institute for Education and Human Development, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, 112-8610, Tokyo, Japan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.