Psychology in Virtual Reality: Toward a Validated Measure of Social Presence

Sterna, Radosław; Zibrek, Katja

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.705448

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…Similar to prior research, we measured the perceived realism of the avatar's movement during the social interactions (Biocca et al, 2003;Felton and Jackson, 2021;Ferstl and McDonnell, 2018;Kokkinara and McDonnell, 2015;Kyrlitsias and Michael-Grigoriou, 2022;Oh et al, 2018;Sterna and Zibrek, 2021;Thomas et al, 2022). In our study, we expected that perceived animation realism would be highest when participants interact with an avatar with the highest level of both face and body expressiveness.…”

Section: The Present Studymentioning

confidence: 74%

“…The term social presence is used in the context of computer-mediated communication to describe the feeling that one is communicating with a real social actor (Biocca et al, 2003;Jung and Lindeman, 2021;Oh et al, 2018;Skarbez et al, 2017;Sterna and Zibrek, 2021). Many VR researchers aim for a higher level of perceived social presence because it can facilitate turn taking, gesturing and self-disclosure (Barreda-Ángeles and Hartmann, 2022;Felton and Jackson, 2021;Herrera et al, 2020;Oh et al, 2018;Smith and Neff, 2018).…”

Section: Why Is Avatar Expressiveness In Vr Important?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Expressiveness of real-time motion captured avatars influences perceived animation realism and perceived quality of social interaction in virtual reality

Fraser

Branson

Hollett

et al. 2022

Front. Virtual Real.

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Using motion capture to enhance the realism of social interaction in virtual reality (VR) is growing in popularity. However, the impact of different levels of avatar expressiveness on the user experience is not well understood. In the present study we manipulated levels of face and body expressiveness of avatars while investigating participant perceptions of animation realism and interaction quality when disclosing positive and negative experiences in VR. Moderate positive associations were observed between perceptions of animation realism and interaction quality. Post-experiment questions revealed that many of our participants (approximately 40%) indicated the avatar with the highest face and body expressiveness as having the most realistic face and body expressions. The same proportion also indicated the avatar with the highest face and body expressiveness as being the most comforting and enjoyable avatar to interact with. Our results suggest that higher levels of face and body expressiveness are important for enhancing perceptions of realism and interaction quality within a social interaction in VR using motion capture.

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Section: The Present Studymentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Why Is Avatar Expressiveness In Vr Important?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Expressiveness of real-time motion captured avatars influences perceived animation realism and perceived quality of social interaction in virtual reality

Fraser

Branson

Hollett

et al. 2022

Front. Virtual Real.

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“… 16 Additionally, the multiuser nature of the metaverse affords social presence : the illusion that we are inhabiting the virtual environment with others. 17 The metaverse, then, is a place where individuals will embody 3D avatars—our digital twins through immersive technologies—and interact in meaningful ways with other humans and artificially intelligent agents. All these components, 3D-rendered environments, the Internet and VR, already exist.…”

Section: The Metaversementioning

confidence: 99%

The Metaverse, Religious Practice and Wellbeing: A Narrative Review

Thomas,

Kuhail,

AlBeyahi

2024

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

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The metaverse is touted as the next phase in the evolution of the Internet. This emerging digital ecosystem is widely conceptualized as a persistent matrix of interconnected multiuser, massively scaled online environments optimally experienced through immersive digital technologies such as virtual reality (VR). Much of the prognostication about the social implications of the metaverse center on secular activities. For example, retail, entertainment (gaming/concerts), and social networking. Little attention has been given to how the metaverse might impact religion. This narrative review explores contemporary research into online religious practice and the use of immersive digital technologies for religious purposes. This focus informs a discussion about how the metaverse, an online and immersive technology, might impact religion/religious practices. For billions worldwide, religion is an essential aspect of social identity and a cornerstone of psychological wellbeing. The emergence of the metaverse may represent a new way of connecting with an ancient source of human flourishing.

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“…Social presence is a broad concept of how well one treats others as social beings and has been conceptualized as an individual's perceived characteristics toward others (Biocca & Harms, 2002;Chen et al, 2023). This social presence is then measured by conscious measures, such as questionnaires, as well as by unconscious measures, such as physiological changes (Sterna & Zibrek, 2021). It has also been suggested that robots with high social presence feel more intimate (Hoorn, 2020), and social presence can help strengthen the intimate relationship between humans and artificial agents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Unknown World of My Stuffed Animal: Effects of the Presentation of Social Networks in Virtual Space on the Social Presence of Stuffed Animals

HASHIKAWA,

TAKAHASHI,

YANASE

2023

PSYCHOLOGIA -An International Journal of Psychological Sciences

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Psychological and sociological research have suggested that the presence of an agent is not solely determined by the individual's characteristics, but also defined by the social network in which the agent belongs. However, current artificial agents have limited ability to build and belong to agent-specific social networks. In this study, we used a stuffed animal as an artificial agent and investigated how the owner's attitude toward the stuffed animal changed, when the owner was presented with a scene where the stuffed animal's avatar interacted with avatars of other stuffed animals. While no significant changes were observed through subjective measurements, the results showed that the owner's photograph of their stuffed animal transformed into one that "seems to be loved" by the owner, as perceived by third parties. This result suggests that displaying the social network of an artificial agent to the owner can enhance the agent's social presence on an unconscious level.

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Psychology in Virtual Reality: Toward a Validated Measure of Social Presence

Cited by 13 publications

References 29 publications

Expressiveness of real-time motion captured avatars influences perceived animation realism and perceived quality of social interaction in virtual reality

Expressiveness of real-time motion captured avatars influences perceived animation realism and perceived quality of social interaction in virtual reality

The Metaverse, Religious Practice and Wellbeing: A Narrative Review

The Unknown World of My Stuffed Animal: Effects of the Presentation of Social Networks in Virtual Space on the Social Presence of Stuffed Animals

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