The Proteus Effect of Future-Self Avatars on Volunteer Decision-Making

Last registered on February 18, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Proteus Effect of Future-Self Avatars on Volunteer Decision-Making
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017886
Initial registration date
February 12, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
February 18, 2026, 7:41 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Yasuhiro Nakamoto
Affiliation
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Yoshihiro Sejima
PI Affiliation
PI Name
Shunji Yazaki
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-02-14
End date
2026-02-28
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy, Lab
Additional Keywords
virtual reality, Proteus effect, climate change
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines whether experiencing a “future self” through a virtual reality (VR) avatar changes how people make decisions about climate-related actions. Participants will be randomly assigned to future experiences through VR or not. Participants experience a future version of themselves living in the year 2066 under more severe heat and other climate impacts. After the experience, participants answer short survey questions about how immersive the experience felt and how strongly the “future-self” perspective remains. The goal is to better understand whether VR-based future experiences can encourage more future-oriented and climate-conscious decision-making.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Nakamoto, Yasuhiro, Yoshihiro Sejima and Shunji Yazaki. 2026. "The Proteus Effect of Future-Self Avatars on Volunteer Decision-Making." AEA RCT Registry. February 18. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17886-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Participants take part in pairs and are randomly assigned to one of three conditions.

Condition 1: Same-avatar (paired “same person”) VR experience

Two participants embody the same avatar (i.e., the same person) in VR. In the study setting, the two “versions” of the same individual are described as having time-slipped from different points in 2026 and appearing together in 2066. The pair experiences a climate-warmed future Japan scenario inside a virtual meeting room. They then engage in a short guided dialogue based on the scenario.

Condition 2: Different-avatar VR experience

Two participants embody different avatars in VR and experience the same climate-warmed future Japan scenario inside a virtual meeting room. They then engage in the same short guided dialogue.

Condition 3: Control (no avatar) classroom dialogue

Two participants are asked to imagine that they have time-slipped 40 years into the future and conduct the same guided dialogue in a physical classroom setting, without using VR avatars.

After the session, participants complete brief questionnaires about immersion and the extent to which the future-self feeling remains, followed by decision-making measures related to climate-action choices and intentions.
Intervention Start Date
2026-02-14
Intervention End Date
2026-02-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Volunteering participation after the experiment:
a binary indicator of whether the participant chooses to take part in an optional volunteer task offered immediately after the experimental session (Yes/No), despite no additional payment.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study uses a randomized controlled experiment with participants assigned in pairs. Each pair is randomly allocated to one of three conditions: (1) a VR experience in which both participants embody the same avatar (a “same person” pairing) while experiencing a climate-warmed future Japan scenario in a virtual meeting room, (2) a VR experience in which participants embody different avatars while experiencing the same scenario in the same virtual meeting room, or (3) a control condition without avatars in which participants conduct a structured future-oriented dialogue in a classroom setting.

The primary endpoint is whether participants choose to participate in an optional volunteer task offered immediately after the session (yes/no), with participation voluntary and not required for compensation. Outcomes are compared across the three experimental conditions.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
At the start of each session, the laboratory administrator will randomly assign each pair to an available room. Each room is pre-designated to one of the three experimental conditions, and multiple rooms run simultaneously with different conditions.
Randomization Unit
Pairs are randomized to rooms, and each room corresponds to a treatment condition.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
16 rooms
Sample size: planned number of observations
Approximately 90 university students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
5 rooms with 6 participants per room, totaling 30 participants (15 pairs) in one condition
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Kansai University, Faculty of Informatics Ethics Review Committee
IRB Approval Date
2026-02-06
IRB Approval Number
2025-45
Analysis Plan