Call for Participants
Research Project on Body Image in Real and Virtual Environments
Principal Researcher: Dr. Alexander Mussap
Student Researcher: Mr Jon-Paul Cacioli
More information and the survey:
http://www.deakin.edu.au/psychology/research/virtualimage/
We have introduced an amazon gift voucher of $100 which will be randomly drawn from all participants who entered after data analysis is complete. If individuals have already entered prior to the prize they can email Jon-Paul at jcaci@deakin.edu.au and he will add them to the draw.
This is a student research project which is a requirement of the Doctorate of Clinical Psychology at Deakin University. The results of the study will be collated into an academic research thesis and will be possibly published in a peer reviewed psychology journal.
A total of 300 people, all males over 18 years of age, will participate in this project.
Previous research has shown that the way people feel and interact with each other can be influenced by the individual’s perception of themselves. A discrepancy between how an individual perceives their own physical appearance compared to how they wish to look can lead to depression, higher levels of stress and anxiety and a poorer overall quality of life. The Internet has recently reached a level of sophistication whereby an individual can create a digital representation of themselves, such as an avatar, controlling each physical dimension. The purpose of this project is to investigate the differences between individuals and their avatars and examine their experience of how appearance affects them in real life and on the Internet, such as in programs as Second Life and World of Warcraft.
You are invited to participate in this research project because understanding the psychological effects regarding appearance over the Internet is an area which has not been explored.
The results of this research may be used to help researcher Jon-Paul Cacioli to obtain a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology.
Procedures
Participation in this project will involve completing a questionnaire on a secure web based server. The questionnaire will take 30 to 60 minutes to complete, depending on your reading speed. The questionnaire is in English and will require you to select answers based on a provided scale. Please answer each question. The questionnaire will measure aspects of your psychological and physical dimensions, such as:
- Levels of depression, stress and anxiety.
- Internet use.
- Body image and the body dimension of your internet avatar.
- Your views on body image.
- Quality of life.
- Self-esteem, social anxiety and social interaction styles.