The clone devaluation effect: A new uncanny phenomenon concerning facial identity

Abstract

Technological advances in robotics have already produced robots that are indistinguishable from human beings. This technology is overcoming the uncanny valley, which refers to the unpleasant feelings that arise from humanoid robots that are similar in appearance to real humans to some extent. If humanoid robots with the same appearance are mass-produced and become commonplace, we may encounter circumstances in which people or human-like products have faces with the exact same appearance in the future. This leads to the following question: what impressions do clones elicit? To respond to this question, we examined what impressions images of people with the same face (clone images) induce. In the six studies we conducted, we consistently reported that clone images elicited higher eeriness than individuals with different faces; we named this new phenomenon the clone devaluation effect. We found that the clone devaluation effect reflected the perceived improbability of facial duplication. Moreover, this phenomenon was related to distinguishableness of each face, the duplication of identity, the background scene in observing clone faces, and avoidance reactions based on disgust sensitivity. These findings suggest that the clone devaluation effect is a product of multiple processes related to memory, emotion, and face recognition systems.

The clone devaluation effect: does duplication of local facial features matter?

“…Facial impressions sometimes unexpectedly turn emotionally negative. The clone devaluation effect, identified in a recent study, is one such example [1]. In this, people who have faces with the exact same appearance (here, we call these clone faces.…”

“…The clone faces were judged as being less eerie when presented as multiplets; however, the facial features were duplicated, supporting the latter explanations. Additionally, Yonemitsu et al [1] reported in another experiment that clone faces of animals (e.g., dogs) did not induce the clone devaluation effect. This finding implied that having the same facial features is not always necessary to elicit the clone devaluation effect.…”

“…The other possibility is that the duplication of identities between people with clone faces is important for the clone devaluation effect. In Study 4a and 4b of Yonemitsu et al [1], the authors focused on multiplets like twins as people who share almost the same facial features with each other but do not have the same identities to confirm this point. The clone faces were judged as being less eerie when presented as multiplets; however, the facial features were duplicated, supporting the latter explanations.…”

“…Yonemitsu et al [1] suggested that the clone devaluation effect can be explained by two possibilities. One is that the same facial features that clone faces have (duplication of facial features) induce the clone devaluation effect.…”

“…This finding implied that having the same facial features is not always necessary to elicit the clone devaluation effect. Thus, Yonemitsu et al [1] suggested that duplicated identities, rather than duplicated facial features, play an important role in the clone devaluation effect.…”