Investigating the Impact of Virtual Avatars and Owner Gender on Virtual Partner Selection in Avatar-Based Interactions: A Study Design

As real-life social interactions transition to virtual environments using Virtual/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) technologies, understanding how gender representation in virtual avatars affects choices and behaviors becomes increasingly relevant. In this paper, we investigate the combined impact of avatars' gender representation and their owner's gender on virtual partner selection in physical, intellectual, social, and romantic scenarios. We introduce our preliminary research plan, outlining both the study design and system development. The research will contribute to our understanding of social dynamics and gender effects in avatar-mediated interactions.