Effects of appearance and gender on pre-touch proxemics in virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) environments are increasingly popular for various applications, and the appearance of virtual characters is a critical factor that influences user behaviors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of avatar and agent appearances on pre-touch proxemics in VR. To achiev...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1195059/full |
| _version_ | 1797774942851301376 |
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| author | Mitsuhiko Kimoto Mitsuhiko Kimoto Yohei Otsuka Michita Imai Masahiro Shiomi |
| author_facet | Mitsuhiko Kimoto Mitsuhiko Kimoto Yohei Otsuka Michita Imai Masahiro Shiomi |
| author_sort | Mitsuhiko Kimoto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Virtual reality (VR) environments are increasingly popular for various applications, and the appearance of virtual characters is a critical factor that influences user behaviors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of avatar and agent appearances on pre-touch proxemics in VR. To achieve this goal, we designed experiments utilizing three user avatars (man/woman/robot) and three virtual agents (man/woman/robot). Specifically, we measured the pre-touch reaction distances to the face and body, which are the distances at which a person starts to feel uncomfortable before being touched. We examined how these distances varied based on the appearances of avatars, agents, and user gender. Our results revealed that the appearance of avatars and agents significantly impacted pre-touch reaction distances. Specifically, those using a female avatar tended to maintain larger distances before their face and body to be touched, and people also preferred greater distances before being touched by a robot agent. Interestingly, we observed no effects of user gender on pre-touch reaction distances. These findings have implications for the design and implementation of VR systems, as they suggest that avatar and agent appearances play a significant role in shaping users’ perceptions of pre-touch proxemics. Our study highlights the importance of considering these factors when creating immersive and socially acceptable VR experiences. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:28:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-46d96c92c6b2473eaaaeacdc371db37e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:28:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-46d96c92c6b2473eaaaeacdc371db37e2023-07-21T19:26:45ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782023-06-011410.3389/fpsyg.2023.11950591195059Effects of appearance and gender on pre-touch proxemics in virtual realityMitsuhiko Kimoto0Mitsuhiko Kimoto1Yohei Otsuka2Michita Imai3Masahiro Shiomi4Interaction Science Laboratories, ATR, Kyoto, JapanFaculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Yokohama, JapanFaculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Yokohama, JapanFaculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Yokohama, JapanInteraction Science Laboratories, ATR, Kyoto, JapanVirtual reality (VR) environments are increasingly popular for various applications, and the appearance of virtual characters is a critical factor that influences user behaviors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of avatar and agent appearances on pre-touch proxemics in VR. To achieve this goal, we designed experiments utilizing three user avatars (man/woman/robot) and three virtual agents (man/woman/robot). Specifically, we measured the pre-touch reaction distances to the face and body, which are the distances at which a person starts to feel uncomfortable before being touched. We examined how these distances varied based on the appearances of avatars, agents, and user gender. Our results revealed that the appearance of avatars and agents significantly impacted pre-touch reaction distances. Specifically, those using a female avatar tended to maintain larger distances before their face and body to be touched, and people also preferred greater distances before being touched by a robot agent. Interestingly, we observed no effects of user gender on pre-touch reaction distances. These findings have implications for the design and implementation of VR systems, as they suggest that avatar and agent appearances play a significant role in shaping users’ perceptions of pre-touch proxemics. Our study highlights the importance of considering these factors when creating immersive and socially acceptable VR experiences.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1195059/fullproxemicsvirtual realitysocial touchpre-touchhuman-agent interactionvirtual agent |
| spellingShingle | Mitsuhiko Kimoto Mitsuhiko Kimoto Yohei Otsuka Michita Imai Masahiro Shiomi Effects of appearance and gender on pre-touch proxemics in virtual reality Frontiers in Psychology proxemics virtual reality social touch pre-touch human-agent interaction virtual agent |
| title | Effects of appearance and gender on pre-touch proxemics in virtual reality |
| title_full | Effects of appearance and gender on pre-touch proxemics in virtual reality |
| title_fullStr | Effects of appearance and gender on pre-touch proxemics in virtual reality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of appearance and gender on pre-touch proxemics in virtual reality |
| title_short | Effects of appearance and gender on pre-touch proxemics in virtual reality |
| title_sort | effects of appearance and gender on pre touch proxemics in virtual reality |
| topic | proxemics virtual reality social touch pre-touch human-agent interaction virtual agent |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1195059/full |
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