scholarly journals Despite Appearances: Comparing Emotion Recognition in Abstract and Humanoid Avatars Using Nonverbal Behavior in Social Virtual Reality

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yilu Sun ◽  
Andrea Stevenson Won
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Nonverbal Behavior ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Social Closeness ◽  
Similar Information ◽  
Individual Measure ◽  
And Behavior

The ability to perceive emotional states is a critical part of social interactions, shaping how people understand and respond to each other. In face-to-face communication, people perceive others’ emotions through observing their appearance and behavior. In virtual reality, how appearance and behavior are rendered must be designed. In this study, we asked whether people conversing in immersive virtual reality (VR) would perceive emotion more accurately depending on whether they and their partner were represented by realistic or abstract avatars. In both cases, participants got similar information about the tracked movement of their partners’ heads and hands, though how this information was expressed varied. We collected participants’ self-reported emotional state ratings of themselves and their ratings of their conversational partners’ emotional states after a conversation in VR. Participants’ ratings of their partners’ emotional states correlated to their partners’ self-reported ratings regardless of which of the avatar conditions they experienced. We then explored how these states were reflected in their nonverbal behavior, using a dyadic measure of nonverbal behavior (proximity between conversational partners) and an individual measure (expansiveness of gesture). We discuss how this relates to measures of social presence and social closeness.

Holistic Framework for Quality Assessment of Mediated Social Communication

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Toet ◽  
Tina Mioch ◽  
Simon N.B. Gunkel ◽  
Omar Niamut ◽  
Jan B.F. van Erp
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Spatial Presence ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Cognitive Reasoning ◽  
Mutual Awareness ◽  
And Behavior

Modern immersive multisensory communication systems can provide compelling mediated social communication experiences that approach face-to-face (F2F) communication. Existing frameworks to assess the quality of mediated social communication experiences are typically targeted at specific communication technologies and do not address all relevant aspects of social presence (i.e., the feeling of being in the presence of, and having an affective and intellectual connection with, other persons). Also, they are typically unsuitable for application to social communication in virtual (VR), augmented (AR) or mixed (MR) reality. Here we present a comprehensive and general holistic mediated social communication (H-MSC) framework and associated questionnaire (the H-MSC-Q) for measuring the quality of mediated social communication. The H-MSC framework comprises both the experience of Spatial Presence (i.e., the perceived fidelity, internal and external plausibility, and cognitive, reasoning and behavioral affordances of an environment) and the experience of Social Presence (i.e., perceived mutual proximity, intimacy, credibility, reasoning and behavior of the communication partners). Since social presence is inherently bidirectional (involving a sense of mutual awareness) the H-MSC-Q distinguishes between the internal (‘own’) and external (‘the other’) assessment perspectives. The H-MSC-Q is efficient and parsimonious, using only a single item to tap into each of the relevant processing levels in the human brain: sensory, emotional, cognitive, reasoning, and behavioral. It is also sufficiently general to measure social presence experienced with any (including VR, AR, and MR) type of multi-sensory (visual, auditory, haptic, and olfactory) mediated communication system.

scholarly journals Nonverbal behavior of interviewers influences the competence ratings of observers in recruitment interviews: a study investigating social influence using 360-degree videos with virtual reality and 2D screen displays

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Wyssenbach ◽  
Melina Zeballos ◽  
Stefan Loosli ◽  
Adrian Schwaninger
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Social Influence ◽  
Nonverbal Behavior ◽  
Display Type ◽  
Immersive Virtual Reality ◽  
Influence Effect ◽  
Customer Care ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractThis study examined whether an interviewer’s nonverbal behavior influences observers’ competence ratings in a recruitment interview using 360-degree videos experienced with immersive virtual reality (VR-cardboard) and 2D screen displays. Participants (n = 110) observed a recruitment interview and assessed three competences of the applicant (behavior in a team, customer care, and sales skill). We used a 2 × 2 design with the nonverbal behavior (positive vs. negative) of the interviewer and display type (VR-cardboard vs. 2D screen display) as between-subjects factors. After observing interview sequences and providing competence ratings, participants also rated different aspects of immersion using the augmented reality immersion questionnaire (ARI; Georgiou and Kyza in Int J Hum Comput Stud 98: 24–37, 2017) and their overall satisfaction with the experience. For two of the three competences (customer care and behavior in a team), we found that observers gave higher competence ratings when the interviewer’s nonverbal behavior was positive compared to when it was negative. This social influence effect was similar for 360-degree videos experienced with immersive VR and 2D screen displays. VR resulted in higher immersion than 2D screen displays regarding the dimensions of flow and presence. Our results suggest that the ARI questionnaire can be used to reliably assess 360-degree videos experienced with immersive VR and 2D screen displays.

Undergraduate Conferences enhance the Student Research Experience: An Application of the Community of Inquiry Framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine E Hubbard ◽  
Caroline Clare Douglas ◽  
Graham Scott ◽  
Francesca Jackson ◽  
Elizabeth Toyne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Educational Experiences ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Community Of Inquiry Framework ◽  
Social Components ◽  
Meaningful Interaction ◽  
Insight Into

On-campus Higher Education is often assumed to be educationally richer than online learning due to opportunities for face-to-face interactions with students and instructors. However, the assumption that the presence of other learners enhances educational experiences requires formal interrogation. In this study, we use the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework to evaluate the nature of social presence at a 500 delegate undergraduate conference that is the culmination of capstone final year dissertation projects. We find that students do not perceive social presence to their learning during their dissertation work, but that presentation of dissertations in the conference environment can initiate educationally valuable social interactions. Notably meaningful interactions occur between students of different year groups, allowing students insight into future tasks and to reflect on the progress they have made over their course. We encourage educators to consider the opportunities that undergraduates have for meaningful interaction in all on-campus experiences, as social components of learning cannot be assumed.

scholarly journals Social Presence as a Moderator of the Effect of Agent Behavior on Emotional Experience in Social Interactions in Virtual Reality

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Pfaller ◽  
Leon O. H. Kroczek ◽  
Bastian Lange ◽  
Raymund Fülöp ◽  
Mathias Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
Virtual Agents ◽  
Agent Behavior ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Exposure therapy involves exposure to feared stimuli and is considered to be the gold-standard treatment for anxiety disorders. While its application in Virtual Reality (VR) has been very successful for phobic disorders, the effects of exposure to virtual social stimuli in Social Anxiety Disorder are heterogeneous. This difference has been linked to demands on realism and presence, particularly social presence, as a pre-requisite in evoking emotional experiences in virtual social interactions. So far, however, the influence of social presence on emotional experience in social interactions with virtual agents remains unknown.Objective: We investigated the relationship between realism and social presence and the moderating effect of social presence on the relationship between agent behavior and experienced emotions in virtual social interaction.Methods: Healthy participants (N = 51) faced virtual agents showing supportive and dismissive behaviors in two virtual environments (short interactions and oral presentations). At first, participants performed five blocks of short one-on-one interactions with virtual agents (two male and two female agents per block). Secondly, participants gave five presentations in front of an audience of 16 agents. In each scenario, agent behavior was a within subjects factor, resulting in one block of neutral, two blocks of negative, and two blocks of positive agent behavior. Ratings of agent behavior (valence and realism), experience (valence and arousal), and presence (physical and social) were collected after every block. Moderator effects were investigated using mixed linear models with random intercepts. Correlations were analyzed via repeated measures correlations.Results: Ratings of valence of agent behaviors showed reliable relationships with experienced valence and less reliable relationships with experienced arousal. These relationships were moderated by social presence in the presentation scenario. Results for the interaction scenario were weaker but potentially promising for experimental studies. Variations in social presence and realism over time were correlated but social presence proved a more reliable moderator.Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the role of social presence for emotional experience in response to specific agent behaviors in virtual social interactions. While these findings should be replicated with experimental designs and in clinical samples, variability in social presence might account for heterogeneity in efficacy of virtual exposure to treat social anxiety disorder.

scholarly journals Effect of Behavioral Realism on Social Interactions Inside Collaborative Virtual Environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Herrera ◽  
Soo Youn Oh ◽  
Jeremy N. Bailenson
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Nonverbal Behavior ◽  
Interpersonal Attraction ◽  
Arm Movements ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
The Other ◽  
Dyadic Interaction ◽  
Collaborative Virtual Environments

Collaborative virtual environments (CVEs), wherein people can virtually interact with each other via avatars, are becoming increasingly prominent. However, CVEs differ in type of avatar representation and level of behavioral realism afforded to users. The present investigation compared the effect of behavioral realism on users' nonverbal behavior, self-presence, social presence, and interpersonal attraction during a dyadic interaction. Fifty-one dyads (aged 18 to 26) embodied either a full-bodied avatar with mapped hands and inferred arm movements, an avatar consisting of only a floating head and mapped hands, or a static full-bodied avatar. Planned contrasts compared the effect of behavioral realism against no behavioral realism, and compared the effect of low versus high behavioral realism. Results show that participants who embodied the avatar with only a floating head and hands experienced greater social presence, self-presence, and interpersonal attraction than participants who embodied a full-bodied avatar with mapped hands. In contrast, there were no significant differences on these measures between participants in the two mapped-hands conditions and those who embodied a static avatar. Participants in the static-avatar condition rotated their own physical head and hands significantly less than participants in the other two conditions during the dyadic interaction. Additionally, side-to-side head movements were negatively correlated with interpersonal attraction regardless of condition. We discuss implications of the finding that behavioral realism influences nonverbal behavior and communication outcomes.

scholarly journals The switching mechanisms of social network densification

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teruyoshi Kobayashi ◽  
Mathieu Génois
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Regime Switching ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Social ◽  
Switching Property ◽  
Distinctive Type ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractDensification and sparsification of social networks are attributed to two fundamental mechanisms: a change in the population in the system, and/or a change in the chances that people in the system are connected. In theory, each of these mechanisms generates a distinctive type of densification scaling, but in reality both types are generally mixed. Here, we develop a Bayesian statistical method to identify the extent to which each of these mechanisms is at play at a given point in time, taking the mixed densification scaling as input. We apply the method to networks of face-to-face interactions of individuals and reveal that the main mechanism that causes densification and sparsification occasionally switches, the frequency of which depending on the social context. The proposed method uncovers an inherent regime-switching property of network dynamics, which will provide a new insight into the mechanics behind evolving social interactions.

Digital Pollution and Its Impact on the Family and Social Interactions

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2098555
Author(s):  
Shiv Ratan Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Critical Dimensions ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
The Family ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Potential Negative Effect ◽  
Human Attitude ◽  
Impact On Family ◽  
And Behavior

The present study was an attempt to identify the most prevailing means of digital devices and its impact as digital pollution on family and social interactions. Despite the obvious benefits of digital devices, in recent years researchers have taken more concern about its potential negative effect on human attitude and behavior, which in turn affects our society. A total of 613 usable responses were collected from Bangalore, India of excessive users of digital devices, such as a smartphone, computer/laptop, and television. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 23.0, AMOS 23.0, and SmartPLS 3.0. The results indicated that as the use of smartphone and computer/laptop increases, levels of digital pollution also increase, which in turn significantly triggers unfavorable impact on family and social interactions. The study indicated that digital pollution appears as an important predictor, which significantly affects social interaction unfavorably. The present study explored the various critical dimensions within this domain and delineated gaps in our knowledge of digital pollution. It was found that smartphones are more responsible for digital pollution among all the identified digital devices, followed by computer/laptop.

Information sources about face-to-face meetings with people from the Internet: Gendered influence on adolescents’ risk perception and behavior

2021 ◽  
pp. 146144482110148
Author(s):  
Vojtěch Mýlek ◽  
Lenka Dedkova ◽  
David Smahel
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
News Media ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Female Adolescents ◽  
Male Adolescents ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Practical Recommendations

Adolescents commonly make new social connections online that sometimes result in face-to-face meetings. Despite potential benefits, risk-focused discourse dominates public debates and shapes information shared by sources important for adolescents—news media, preventive programs, peers, parents, and teachers. Our study examines how information about face-to-face meetings from these sources relates to adolescents’ risk perception and engagement in such meetings. Using a sample of 707 Czech adolescents (aged 11–16 years, 46% male), we analyzed these effects for male and female adolescents to reflect the gendered nature of the risk-focused discourse. Male adolescents’ risk perception was not affected by information from any source. Female adolescents’ risk perception was negatively affected by information peers with prior experience with face-to-face meetings but not by other information sources. Female adolescents also perceived face-to-face meetings as riskier in general. We discuss gender differences and the limited impact of information sources on risk perception and provide practical recommendations.

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