scholarly journals Statistical Learning of Facial Expressions Improves Realism of Animated Avatar Faces

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Martin Grewe ◽  
Tuo Liu ◽  
Christoph Kahl ◽  
Andrea Hildebrandt ◽  
Stefan Zachow
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Uncanny Valley ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Perceived Realism ◽  
Facial Expression Database

A high realism of avatars is beneficial for virtual reality experiences such as avatar-mediated communication and embodiment. Previous work, however, suggested that the usage of realistic virtual faces can lead to unexpected and undesired effects, including phenomena like the uncanny valley. This work investigates the role of photographic and behavioral realism of avatars with animated facial expressions on perceived realism and congruence ratings. More specifically, we examine ratings of photographic and behavioral realism and their mismatch in differently created avatar faces. Furthermore, we utilize these avatars to investigate the effect of behavioral realism on perceived congruence between video-recorded physical person’s expressions and their imitations by the avatar. We compared two types of avatars, both with four identities that were created from the same facial photographs. The first type of avatars contains expressions that were designed by an artistic expert. The second type contains expressions that were statistically learned from a 3D facial expression database. Our results show that the avatars containing learned facial expressions were rated more photographically and behaviorally realistic and possessed a lower mismatch between the two dimensions. They were also perceived as more congruent to the video-recorded physical person’s expressions. We discuss our findings and the potential benefit of avatars with learned facial expressions for experiences in virtual reality and future research on enfacement.

The application of virtual reality in health professions� digital education: a narrative review (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Tudor Car ◽  
Bhone Myint Kyaw ◽  
Josip Car
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Health Professions Education ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Educational Content ◽  
Potential Applications

BACKGROUND Digital technology called Virtual Reality (VR) is increasingly employed in health professions’ education. Yet, based on the current evidence, its use is narrowed around a few most applications and disciplines. There is a lack of an overview that would capture the diversity of different VR applications in health professions’ education and inform its use and research. OBJECTIVE This narrative review aims to explore different potential applications of VR in health professions’ education. METHODS The narrative synthesis approach to literature review was used to analyse the existing evidence. RESULTS We outline the role of VR features such as immersion, interactivity and feedback and explain the role of VR devices. Based on the type and scope of educational content VR can represent space, individuals, objects, structures or their combination. Application of VR in medical education encompasses environmental, organ and micro level. Environmental VR focuses on training in relation to health professionals’ environment and human interactions. Organ VR educational content targets primarily human body anatomy; and micro VR microscopic structures at the level of cells, molecules and atoms. We examine how different VR features and health professional education areas match these three VR types. CONCLUSIONS We conclude by highlighting the gaps in the literature and providing suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals Building an Emotionally Responsive Avatar with Dynamic Facial Expressions in Human—Computer Interactions

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Heting Wang ◽  
Vidya Gaddy ◽  
James Ross Beveridge ◽  
Francisco R. Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Uncanny Valley ◽  
Human Computer Interactions ◽  
Basic Emotions ◽  
Subjective Responses ◽  
Dynamic Facial Expressions ◽  
Nasa Tlx ◽  
Computer Interactions

The role of affect has been long studied in human–computer interactions. Unlike previous studies that focused on seven basic emotions, an avatar named Diana was introduced who expresses a higher level of emotional intelligence. To adapt to the users various affects during interaction, Diana simulates emotions with dynamic facial expressions. When two people collaborated to build blocks, their affects were recognized and labeled using the Affdex SDK and a descriptive analysis was provided. When participants turned to collaborate with Diana, their subjective responses were collected and the length of completion was recorded. Three modes of Diana were involved: a flat-faced Diana, a Diana that used mimicry facial expressions, and a Diana that used emotionally responsive facial expressions. Twenty-one responses were collected through a five-point Likert scale questionnaire and the NASA TLX. Results from questionnaires were not statistically different. However, the emotionally responsive Diana obtained more positive responses, and people spent the longest time with the mimicry Diana. In post-study comments, most participants perceived facial expressions on Diana’s face as natural, four mentioned uncomfortable feelings caused by the Uncanny Valley effect.

Mobilizing in Black Boxes: Social Networks and Participation in Social Movement Organizations

2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Kitts
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Movement Organizations ◽  
Black Boxes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Movement Organizations ◽  
Movement Participation

Recent research has focused on the role of social networks in facilitating participation in protest and social movement organizations. This paper elaborates three currents of microstructural explanation, based on information, identity, and exchange. In assessing these perspectives, it compares their treatment of multivalence, the tendency for social ties to inhibit as well as promote participation. Considering two dimensions of multivalence—the value of the social tie and the direction of social pressure—this paper discusses problems of measurement and interpretation in network analysis of movement participation. A critical review suggests some directions for future research.

scholarly journals Social Network Sites and Well-Being: The Role of Social Connection

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna L. Clark ◽  
Sara B. Algoe ◽  
Melanie C. Green
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Extensive Body

In the early days of the Internet, both conventional wisdom and scholarship deemed online communication a threat to well-being. Later research has complicated this picture, offering mixed evidence about how technology-mediated communication affects users. With the dawn of social network sites, this issue is more important than ever. A close examination of the extensive body of research on social network sites suggests that conflicting results can be reconciled by a single theoretical approach: the interpersonal-connection-behaviors framework. Specifically, we suggest that social network sites benefit their users when they are used to make meaningful social connections and harm their users through pitfalls such as isolation and social comparison when they are not. The benefits and drawbacks of using social network sites shown in existing research can largely be explained by this approach, which also posits the need for studying specific online behaviors in future research.

scholarly journals Unraveling the Interconnections Between Statistical Learning and Dyslexia: A Review of Recent Empirical Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Singh ◽  
Christopher M. Conway
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
Structured Information ◽  
Learning Impairment

One important aspect of human cognition involves the learning of structured information encountered in our environment, a phenomenon known as statistical learning. A growing body of research suggests that learning to read print is partially guided by learning the statistical contingencies existing between the letters within a word, and also between the letters and sounds to which the letters refer. Research also suggests that impairments to statistical learning ability may at least partially explain the difficulties experienced by individuals diagnosed with dyslexia. However, the findings regarding impaired learning are not consistent, perhaps partly due to the varied use of methodologies across studies – such as differences in the learning paradigms, stimuli used, and the way that learning is assessed – as well as differences in participant samples such as age and extent of the learning disorder. In this review, we attempt to examine the purported link between statistical learning and dyslexia by assessing a set of the most recent and relevant studies in both adults and children. Based on this review, we conclude that although there is some evidence for a statistical learning impairment in adults with dyslexia, the evidence for an impairment in children is much weaker. We discuss several suggestive trends that emerge from our examination of the research, such as issues related to task heterogeneity, possible age effects, the role of publication bias, and other suggestions for future research such as the use of neural measures and a need to better understand how statistical learning changes across typical development. We conclude that no current theoretical framework of dyslexia fully captures the extant research findings on statistical learning.

Virtual Reality Therapeutic Environments in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Alzheimer's

2019 ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Sime
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Current Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Treatment Analysis

This chapter is devoted to observing and analyzing the role of virtual reality environments in the therapeutic treatment, analysis, and ongoing treatment planning of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), Alzheimer's, and dementia. Using live real-world examples of the above activities in action and a literature review, the chapter will examine the level of empirical data and pre-existing qualitative and quantitative research to support these ongoing approaches. Critical analysis will also be made of the current level of empirical research available highlighting areas that should be focused on for future research.

scholarly journals Measuring visual search and distraction in immersive virtual reality

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 172331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Olk ◽  
Alina Dinu ◽  
David J. Zielinski ◽  
Regis Kopper
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Laboratory Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Immersive Virtual Reality ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Target Reaction

An important issue of psychological research is how experiments conducted in the laboratory or theories based on such experiments relate to human performance in daily life. Immersive virtual reality (VR) allows control over stimuli and conditions at increased ecological validity. The goal of the present study was to accomplish a transfer of traditional paradigms that assess attention and distraction to immersive VR. To further increase ecological validity we explored attentional effects with daily objects as stimuli instead of simple letters. Participants searched for a target among distractors on the countertop of a virtual kitchen. Target–distractor discriminability was varied and the displays were accompanied by a peripheral flanker that was congruent or incongruent to the target. Reaction time was slower when target–distractor discriminability was low and when flankers were incongruent. The results were replicated in a second experiment in which stimuli were presented on a computer screen in two dimensions. The study demonstrates the successful translation of traditional paradigms and manipulations into immersive VR and lays a foundation for future research on attention and distraction in VR. Further, we provide an outline for future studies that should use features of VR that are not available in traditional laboratory research.

scholarly journals Developing an Evaluation Checklist for English Majors’ Textbooks in China: Focus on Intercultural Communicative Competence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanrong Lei ◽  
Kittitouch Soontornwipast
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Textbook Evaluation ◽  
English Majors

With the rising interest in the Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) in language teaching, evaluating the ICC attributes in EFL textbooks is becoming a great concern. This study aimed to find out the evaluation criteria for the ICC attributes in EFL textbooks generated from the literature and from EFL experts, and then construct an evaluation checklist for assessing the ICC attributes of the English majors’ textbook in China. The findings revealed that thirty-six items were identified from the literature and another thirty-six new items were generated from the interview with nine experts in the fields of ICC research and textbook selection. These items were constructed into a draft checklist and checklist was validated by another nine EFL teachers and native-speaker teachers. Consequently, a try-out checklist with two dimensions, eight themes and sixty-one items was developed. Given the vital role of ICC in English teaching, it is essential to understand the ICC attributes in EFL textbooks, which is a relatively new construct. The proposed checklist was a critical step towards a better evaluation of ICC attributes in English majors’ textbooks and would be a helpful tool for teachers in textbook evaluation. Future research is required to refine the try-out checklist.

scholarly journals The Role of Online Media in Mobilizing Large-Scale Collective Action

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630512110338
Author(s):  
Zhuo Chen ◽  
Poong Oh ◽  
Anfan Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Media ◽  
Twitter Data ◽  
Networks Analysis ◽  
Organizing Process

This study investigates the role of online media in mobilizing large-scale collective action. Adopting the theoretical framework of collective action space, we formulated the organizing process of collective action into a model with two dimensions—hierarchy and closure—and analyzed how they influence mobilization. The model was tested against Twitter data collected during the 2020 Hong Kong protest, including a total of 54,365 tweets posted by 14,706 distinct users between 1 May and 31 May 2020. Social networks analysis metrics— k-coreness and brokerage of individual users in their following networks—were employed to quantify the organizing process of the protest and estimate their effects on message virality. The results showed that messages generated by users who occupied peripheral positions (i.e., lower k-coreness) and by those connecting others within closed communities (i.e., lower brokerage) were more likely to diffuse than those generated by central users or those who bridged different communities. That is, online media facilitate mobilization in a decentralized yet fragmented fashion. This article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical implications of the current findings and suggests the directions for future research on collective action on online media.

Virtual Reality

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Fox ◽  
Dylan Arena ◽  
Jeremy N. Bailenson
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Fundamental Understanding ◽  
Real World Applications ◽  
Social Scientific Research ◽  
Social Scientific

In this article, we provide the nontechnical reader with a fundamental understanding of the components of virtual reality (VR) and a thorough discussion of the role VR has played in social science. First, we provide a brief overview of the hardware and equipment used to create VR and review common elements found within the virtual environment that may be of interest to social scientists, such as virtual humans and interactive, multisensory feedback. Then, we discuss the role of VR in existing social scientific research. Specifically, we review the literature on the study of VR as an object, wherein we discuss the effects of the technology on human users; VR as an application, wherein we consider real-world applications in areas such as medicine and education; and VR as a method, wherein we provide a comprehensive outline of studies in which VR technologies are used to study phenomena that have traditionally been studied in physical settings, such as nonverbal behavior and social interaction. We then present a content analysis of the literature, tracking the trends for this research over the last two decades. Finally, we present some possibilities for future research for interested social scientists.

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