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| Adults become more like children in a virtual world | Adults become more like children in a virtual world |
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| In a virtual world adults in a child-like body start to perceive the world more like a child, a study has shown. | In a virtual world adults in a child-like body start to perceive the world more like a child, a study has shown. |
| Adults were either placed in a virtual four-year-old body or an adult body scaled down to the same size. | Adults were either placed in a virtual four-year-old body or an adult body scaled down to the same size. |
| It was found that participants in the child's body overestimated the size of objects and identified better with child-like attributes. | It was found that participants in the child's body overestimated the size of objects and identified better with child-like attributes. |
| Scientists say their work, published in PNAS, could help unlock hidden memories. | Scientists say their work, published in PNAS, could help unlock hidden memories. |
| Wearing a head mounted display and a motion capture suit that tracks body movements, adults were able to move in a virtual world just as they would in the real world. | Wearing a head mounted display and a motion capture suit that tracks body movements, adults were able to move in a virtual world just as they would in the real world. |
| Previous research has already shown that the brain is amenable to accepting such illusory changes. So if a person moves at the same time their virtual body does, they feel as if they are really moving. | Previous research has already shown that the brain is amenable to accepting such illusory changes. So if a person moves at the same time their virtual body does, they feel as if they are really moving. |
| Body illusion | Body illusion |
| A team led by Mel Slater from the University of Barcelona found three situations in which adult participants reacted differently depending on what virtual body they were in. | A team led by Mel Slater from the University of Barcelona found three situations in which adult participants reacted differently depending on what virtual body they were in. |
| Embodiment illusions have already established that when placed in a small virtual body, surrounding objects seem larger. What was unexpected was that those in a child's body overestimated the sizes of objects to a greater extent. | Embodiment illusions have already established that when placed in a small virtual body, surrounding objects seem larger. What was unexpected was that those in a child's body overestimated the sizes of objects to a greater extent. |
| The participants were also asked to do an implicit association test, which requires participants to categorise themselves with child-like or adult-like attributes. Those in the child's body reacted faster to child-like attributes to those in the adult body. | The participants were also asked to do an implicit association test, which requires participants to categorise themselves with child-like or adult-like attributes. Those in the child's body reacted faster to child-like attributes to those in the adult body. |
| A third scenario they were presented with was to pick a child or adult-like room. Those in a child's body preferred the child's room. | A third scenario they were presented with was to pick a child or adult-like room. Those in a child's body preferred the child's room. |
| "This illusion of body ownership was responsible for these findings," Prof Slater told BBC News. | "This illusion of body ownership was responsible for these findings," Prof Slater told BBC News. |
| "Somehow the brain thinks 'this is my body' which makes the whole experience consistent. You see the world bigger, have more childlike attributes and prefer a child's environment rather than an adult one." | "Somehow the brain thinks 'this is my body' which makes the whole experience consistent. You see the world bigger, have more childlike attributes and prefer a child's environment rather than an adult one." |
| The researchers propose that their work has numerous applications, particularly for therapy or remembering childhood memories. | The researchers propose that their work has numerous applications, particularly for therapy or remembering childhood memories. |
| "You're putting yourself in the shoes of someone else, so you can get some aspect of how they feel to be in this position. | "You're putting yourself in the shoes of someone else, so you can get some aspect of how they feel to be in this position. |
| "To some extent you could revert people to a child-like experience, so they may be able to remember things from their childhood better or to empathise more with their own children." | "To some extent you could revert people to a child-like experience, so they may be able to remember things from their childhood better or to empathise more with their own children." |
| Rehabilitate prisoners | Rehabilitate prisoners |
| He added that longer term studies were needed to discover if these changes still had an effect after the experiment. | He added that longer term studies were needed to discover if these changes still had an effect after the experiment. |
| Thomas Metzinger from the Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany, said the findings could have numerous applications. | Thomas Metzinger from the Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany, said the findings could have numerous applications. |
| "Virtual reality could help us take the perspective of victims, of young children and could help rehabilitate prisoners. | "Virtual reality could help us take the perspective of victims, of young children and could help rehabilitate prisoners. |
| "It could help us understand how people really feel, maybe even in a crime scene to see what perspectives they had," Prof Metzinger told BBC News. | "It could help us understand how people really feel, maybe even in a crime scene to see what perspectives they had," Prof Metzinger told BBC News. |
| He added that it was not surprising that people easily identified with avatars as people increasingly live their day-to-day lives in a 'virtual world' of the internet, TV and computer games. | He added that it was not surprising that people easily identified with avatars as people increasingly live their day-to-day lives in a 'virtual world' of the internet, TV and computer games. |
| But like Prof Slater, he said it was unclear if a momentary insight into a virtual world could help facilitate empathy in the the long-term. |