## Project overview ## **Background.** Virtual reality (VR) enables people to experience a simulated environment that can be manipulated in a variety of ways. Hoffmann et al. (2013) were able to show that users feel present, almost real in those simulations. Strickland-Hughes (et al., 2017) induced a subjective experience of aging by presenting false feedback in physical performance testing and reported significant decrease of memory performance. Following research revealed, that not the induction of an aging experience but just the announcement of a memory task itself, was able to induce a self-stereotype driven decrease of performance. Thus, further research needs to distinguish different kinds of performance measures. This project aims to assess whether a simulated aging experience leads to positive/negative changes in certain performance measures, that are commonly related to aging in a positive (wise reasoning) or negative (phyiscal strength/memory) way. **Virtual Aging Experience.** To enable a virtual aging experience, our visually neutral laboratory room was replicated into a 3D-scenario that can be used in a HTV Vive VR-headset. The scenario is calibrated to match the exact position, features and details of the actual room to create the impression of still being in the laboratory room, regardless of wearing the VR-headset. The crucial difference between the virtual and real room is the manipulation of the participants' virtual appearance by using one of four available avatars to overlay his virtual self in the mirror. The participant is then instructed to take a close look at his virtual appearance and to move and examine different body parts. This manipulation can be used to give an age-congurent or age-incongruent representation by presenting participants of the two age groups (20-30 and 50+) with the avatars that are either around 25 or around 70 years old. A pilot study aims to validate the induction of this virtual embodiment and its effects on the perception of one's own age. ## Study I ## The first study aims to