The amplifying role of virtual body ownership: a full-avatar VR paradigm for social ostracism

Abstract

Abstract

Abstract Research on social ostracism has commonly used paradigms such as Cyberball, which is easy to implement, highly standardized, and suitable for diverse settings. VR-based versions have since emerged, but existing VR ball-tossing paradigms often involve limited body representation, which may not fully engage the sense of virtual body ownership (VBO). The present study developed a Full-Body VR ball-tossing paradigm and compared it with an Arms-Only VR paradigm and the traditional Cyberball paradigm. The results showed that the Full-Body VR condition produced larger effects on basic need satisfaction and positive affect than the other two conditions, whereas the increase in negative affect following ostracism was comparable across the three paradigms. VBO moderated the effect of social context on basic need satisfaction only in the Full-Body VR condition: under inclusion, higher VBO was associated with greater need satisfaction; under ostracism, higher VBO was associated with lower need satisfaction. In the Arms-Only VR condition, VBO was positively associated with need satisfaction regardless of social context. These findings indicate that the completeness of the virtual body representation influences the psychological impact of ostracism, and that VBO functions as a context-dependent moderator. The Full-Body VR paradigm may be used as a tool for studying social ostracism in controlled laboratory settings.