A Face Validation Study for the Investigation of Proteus Effects Targeting Driving Behavior

The Proteus effect describes the phenomenon that Immersive Virtual Reality users derive identity cues from their avatar’s appearance which in turn activate specific stereotypes that influence the users’ behavior or attitudes. The aim of this study was to validate faces of different age groups that can be used for avatars in further studies of Proteus effects targeting driving behavior. To achieve this goal, four neutral faces were selected from the CAL/PAL face database. They were rated with established questionnaires for driving behavior and driving styles to reveal explicit driver stereotypes. Implicit stereotypes were assessed with the implicit association test.

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