scholarly journals Beauty in the eye of the beholder? Attractiveness in a virtual world

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Sha Angie Guan ◽  
Kaveri Subrahmanyam ◽  
Kevin Linares ◽  
Roy Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
The Self ◽  
Sex Preferences ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Participant Characteristics

The current study examines whether traditional offline gender biases regarding physical attractiveness and status transfer to Second Life (SL), a virtual world where residents can easily manipulate the appearance and status of avatars (i.e., graphical representations of the self). Participants (N = 312, 60.58% female, Mage = 29.77, SD = 10.53) reported on demographics, SL usage, and rated the attractiveness of female and male avatars manipulated along physical attractiveness (high vs. low) and status (high vs. low). Mixed measures ANCOVAs were modeled separately for the female avatars and male avatars with within-subjects factors (avatar characteristics: physical attractiveness and status) and between-subject factors (participant characteristics: sex, and intensity of SL usage), while controlling for participant age. Consistent with offline norms, female avatars high in physical attractiveness were rated as more attractive, regardless of status. Participants rated male avatars high in physical attractiveness as more attractive if they were high in status compared to those low in status. We also found opposite-sex preferences and moderations by participant age and SL usage on avatar attractiveness ratings. The results suggest the continuity of offline gender norms and effect of in-world experience on perceptions of avatar appearance.

Ethical harm in virtual communities

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastiaan Vanacker ◽  
Don Heider
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
The Self ◽  
Caveat Emptor ◽  
Norm Violation ◽  
Online Environments

This article analyzes under which conditions ethical relevant avatar harm occurs in virtual worlds. The authors argue that this is most likely to occur when there are some norms of acceptable behavior in a virtual world and when players see avatars as constitutive to their identity. Other than online environments characterized by a ‘caveat emptor’ approach, Second Life is governed by certain norms of acceptable behavior. While Second Life inhabitants do not see a need for an additional code of ethics for their community, they do have notions of wrong and right behavior. However what exactly constitutes norm violating behavior and ethically relevant avatar harm is often times contested, as the example of online reactions to an avatar upskirt gallery in Second Life illustrate. Players who see their avatars as extensions of themselves are more at risk of ethical harm when a norm violation occurs than players for whom their avatar constitutes an entity distinct from the self.

scholarly journals Tybur et al. Disgust Anger Aggression

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Tybur ◽  
Catherine Molho ◽  
Terence Daniel Dores Cruz ◽  
Begum Cakmak ◽  
Gaurav Deep Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
The Self ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Indirect Aggression ◽  
Physical Strength ◽  
Body Strength ◽  
Upper Body Strength ◽  
Within Subjects

People often report disgust toward moral violations. Some perspectives posit that this disgust is indistinct from anger. Here, we test an alternative perspective: that disgust corresponds with condemnation strategies that are less costly – but also less effective at deterrence – than those corresponding with anger. We tested three hypotheses concerning emotional responses to moral violations: (1) disgust is associated with lower-cost, indirectly aggressive motives (e.g., gossip and social exclusion), whereas anger is associated with higher-cost, directly aggressive motives (e.g., physical violence); (2) disgust is higher toward violations affecting others than it is toward violations affecting the self, and anger is higher toward violations affecting the self than it is toward violations affecting others; and (3) abilities to inflict costs on or withhold benefits from others (measured via physical strength and physical attractiveness, respectively) relate to anger, but not to disgust. These hypotheses were tested in a within-subjects study in which 233 participants came to the lab twice and reported their emotional responses and aggressive sentiments toward self-targeting and other-targeting moral violations. Participants’ upper body strength and physical attractiveness were also measured with a dynamometer and photograph ratings, respectively. The first two hypotheses were supported – disgust (but not anger) was related to indirect aggression whereas anger (but not disgust) was related to direct aggression, and disgust was higher toward other-targeting violations whereas anger was higher toward self-targeting violations. However, physical strength and physical attractiveness were unrelated to anger or disgust or to endorsements of direct or indirect aggression.

The Self-Description Questionnaire-1: A Lithuanian Application

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Watkins ◽  
Anne McCreary Juhasz ◽  
Aldona Walker ◽  
Nijole Janvlaitiene
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Response Bias ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
The Self ◽  
Nigerian Children ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
And Gender

Analysis of the responses of 139 male and 83 female Lithuanian 12-14 year-olds to a translation of the Self-Description Questionnaire-1 (SDQ-1; Marsh, 1988 ) supported the internal consistency and factor structure of this instrument. Some evidence of a “positivity” response bias was found, however. Comparison of the Lithuanian responses to those of like-aged Australian, Chinese, Filipino, Nepalese, and Nigerian children indicated the Lithuanians tended to report rather lower self-esteem. The Lithuanian males also tended to report lower self-esteem than their female peers. Interpretation of the results are considered in terms of reactions to the recent upheavals in Eastern Europe, stable cultural dimensions, and possible cultural and gender biases in the items of the SDQ-1.

Fluxus and the Absurd (1961–62)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin R. Levy
Keyword(s):  
Second Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Major Work ◽  
The Future ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact

After John Cage’s 1958 Darmstadt lectures, many European composers developed an interest in absurdity and artistic provocation. Although Ligeti’s fascination with Cage and his association with the Fluxus group was brief, the impact it had on his composition was palpable and lasting. A set of conceptual works, The Future of Music, Trois Bagatelles, and Poème symphonique for one hundred metronomes, fall clearly into the Fluxus model, even as the last has taken on a second life as a serious work. This spirit, however, can also be seen in the self-satire of Fragment and the drama and irony of Volumina, Aventures, and Nouvelles Aventures. The sketches for Aventures not only show the composer channeling this humor into a major work but also prove to be a fascinating repository of ideas that Ligeti would reuse in the years to come.

scholarly journals A team-based competition for undergraduate medical students to learn radiology within the virtual world Second Life

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodoro Rudolphi-Solero ◽  
Alberto Jimenez-Zayas ◽  
Rocio Lorenzo-Alvarez ◽  
Dolores Domínguez-Pinos ◽  
Miguel Jose Ruiz-Gomez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Student Perception ◽  
Load Test ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
Exposure Test ◽  
Radiological Anatomy ◽  
Post Exposure ◽  
Course Grades

Abstract Background A multi-user competitive game within the virtual world Second Life for undergraduate radiology learning was adapted for team participation. This study aimed to assess student perception, impact on learning, and eventual correlation of game results with post-exposure tests and course grades. Methods The game consisted of six weekly stages, dedicated to thoracic, abdominal, and musculoskeletal radiological anatomy and semiology. Participants had several days a week to review self-guided radiology educational content and then complete individual multiple-choice tests and solve team tasks to progress through the game's ranking. Additionally, they completed a cognitive load test, a questionnaire about the experience and a post-exposure knowledge test. Results Fifty-two students organised into 13 teams participated in the game and assessed different aspects of the experience with a mean score ≥ 7.8 on a 10-point scale, highlighting the participation of the teacher (9.3 ± 1.1), the educational contents (8.8 ± 1.4) and the usefulness for their education (8.7 ± 1.4). Participants obtained better post-exposure test results (p < 0.007) and better course grades (p < 0.021) than non-participants did. Conclusion A multi-user game adapted to team competition to learn radiology in Second Life was very positively perceived by third-year medical students, who highly valued its content, organisation, and usefulness for their training. Most of the participants agreed that they had collaborated as a team and that playing in competitive environments helps them learn better. The best post-exposure and academic results compared to non-participating students indicate the potential impact of the game on learning.

scholarly journals Second Life and Classical Music Education: Developing Iconography That Encourages Human Interaction

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Thomas Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Music Education ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Socratic Method ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Disney World ◽  
Educational Paths

Since January 2007, Music Academy Online , a web-based business dedicated to generating interest in classical music, has been developing a ‘Disney World for Classical Music’ in the virtual world of Second Life®. The virtual world provides a unique opportunity to teach classical music in an interdisciplinary fashion, the ability to reach out to a population that is hesitant to explore classical music, and a way for reaching out to those who have been disenfranchised by traditional educational paths. This has led to the development of iconography in Second Life that exploits the virtual world’s inherent ability to put seemingly disparate information together in a way that encourages questioning and discussion. But above all, this has led to the conclusion that the importance of human interaction and the Socratic method are the key elements in virtual world education.

scholarly journals Virtual Worlds Round Table

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Yee ◽  
Liz Losh ◽  
Sarah Robbins-Bell
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Round Table ◽  
State University ◽  
Online Journal ◽  
Ball State University

By being an online journal, the JVWR allows for the inclusion of some pieces that might not otherwise fit a standard journal. This was the thought behind bringing together a group of virtual world scholars to discuss a series of questions and share their thoughts. Meeting in Second Life, Nick Yee (PARC), Liz Losh (UC Irvine), and Sarah Robbins-Bell (Ball State University) were gracious enough to share their thoughts on the study of virtual worlds culture.

scholarly journals Digital Guqin Museum from a Virtual World to the Real World : Conception and design of an ongoing cultural sim

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuen-git Chow
Keyword(s):  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Mixed Reality ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Good Match ◽  
Chinese Music ◽  
Place Holder ◽  
Informal Settings

This paper provides an overview of the Digital Guqin Museum built in Second Life that provides the user an opportunity to experience and interact with different facets of Chinese culture. The user will find examples of Guquin culture, considered by some to be a place holder for Chinese culture , such as the guqin, a rarely seen musical instrument sometimes confused with the guzheng, a more common popular instrument. Users can see the making of a guqin instrument and listen to guqin music being played, which represents both Chinese music, and more specifically, the guqin music genre - an elegant and quiet music – that might be considered a good match for a virtual world. The Digital Guqin Museam enables participants to play guqin music both in-world and via mixed-reality session, such as the recreation of an online “yaji” – elegant gatherings . This paper questions which groups of Guqin players would be interested and which group would not, and what types of uses might be most engaging . The Digital Guqin Museum in Second Life enables meetings possible only in a virtual world. Real life people could meet in virtual places, visit cities, venues as an end in itself. DGM has been shown to professional guqin players, in informal settings and at a specialists conference.

scholarly journals The Griefer and the Stalker: Disruptive Actors in a Second Life Educational Community

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Lafayette DuQuette
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
English Language ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

Linden Lab’s Second Life (SL) is well-known for its hands-off approach to user conflict-resolution. Although users are given tools to mute and block individual accounts as well as ban undesirable avatars from user-owned land, that does not prevent determined, malicious users from disrupting communities and harassing individuals. This case study focuses on two such malicious users exemplary of two specific types of malevolent virtual world actors: in-world griefers and online stalkers. As part of a decade-long ethnographic research project within the Cypris Chat English language learning community in SL, this paper utilizes data gleaned from notes on participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and first-hand encounters. It categorizes the disparate strategies these individuals have used over the years in their attempts to disrupt group cohesion, sow distrust between students and teachers, humiliate individuals, and foment an atmosphere of fear and anxiety. It then reviews the methods community members used to defend themselves from such attacks and analyzes the efficacy of these strategies. This study builds on our understanding of harassment in virtual worlds and acts as a cautionary tale for future virtual world educators and community leaders considering the development of their own online classes and groups.

scholarly journals Finding the discipline: Assessing student activity in Second Life

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Grant ◽  
Rosemary Clerehan
Keyword(s):  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
First Year ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Student Activity ◽  
Implementation Processes ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Second Language Learner

<span>For the second-language learner, the affordances of a virtual world have the potential to confer benefits conventionally aligned with real world experiences. However, little is known about the pedagogical benefits linked to the specific characteristics of the virtual world, let alone the issues arising for staff hoping to assess students' participation in these worlds. This case study is based on a two-part assignment in a first-year Chinese unit at an Australian university, exploring the virtual world assessment practices of one lecturer. The findings, while suggesting the strengths of the assessment regime with respect to many of the affordances and to alignment with policy, highlight deficient aspects of the design and implementation processes which can relatively easily be addressed. The case study reveals the critical importance of sufficient scaffolding and support, feedback and appropriate communication of students' achievement to them in order to promote further reflection.</span>

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