The avatar as a tool: The critical role of the first-person perspective in linking embodiment and presence

Abstract

In virtual reality, presence, (i.e. the feeling of being in a virtual environment), and embodiment, (i.e. the feeling of being an avatar within that environment), are closely related aspects of the user experience. Embodiment is thought to promote presence by providing a bodily reference through which users perceive and interact with the virtual environment. However, not all virtual bodies (or perspectives) affect embodiment and presence in the same way. Research suggests that a first-person perspective plays a key role in determining whether an avatar becomes integrated into the user's body representation and how strongly it influences presence compared to a third-person perspective. The present study investigated whether manipulating embodiment in a first-person avatar affects presence more strongly than in a third-person avatar. To test this, embodiment was manipulated by introducing varying levels of visuomotor delay in avatars viewed from either a first-person or a third-person perspective. Presence was continuously assessed using a by applying detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) to velocity time-series derived from movement data. DFA identifies long-range correlations in movement dynamics that have been shown to respond to changes in presence. Results indicated that long-range correlations changed only when embodiment was manipulated in first-person avatars, while third-person manipulations produced stable patterns across delay levels. These findings suggest that perspective determines whether an avatar becomes integrated into the user's body representation, highlighting the central role of embodiment in shaping presence in virtual environments. We discuss how these results may inform design and development decisions of VR applications.