Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 28, 2025
07:34
Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues
Published on: June 3, 2013
17.8K
Seeing the world through the eyes of an avatar? Comparing perspective taking and referential coding
Sophia von Salm-Hoogstraeten1, Katharina Bolzius1, Jochen Müsseler1
1Department of Work and Cognitive Psychology.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|February 21, 2020
Summary
Users adopt virtual avatars' spatial positions by using the avatar's hand position as a reference point, not solely its visual perspective. This referential coding mechanism explains avatar perspective-taking limits.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Virtual Reality
Background:
- Users often adopt virtual avatars' perspectives in virtual environments.
- Previous research assumed users see through the avatar's eyes.
- This study investigates alternative mechanisms for spatial representation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare perspective-taking and referential coding assumptions in virtual avatar interactions.
- To determine the primary mechanism users employ when adopting an avatar's spatial position.
- To explore the influence of reference points on spatial coding in virtual environments.
Main Methods:
- A spatial compatibility task was employed to assess user responses.
- Experiment 1 manipulated avatar visual perspective and hand position.
- Experiment 2 examined the effect of mismatched participant and avatar hand positions.
Main Results:
- Avatar hand position, not visual perspective, was the key factor in spatial coding (Experiment 1).
- Referential coding by avatar hands ceased when participant hand positions did not align (Experiment 2).
- Findings suggest referential coding underlies avatar perspective-taking.
Conclusions:
- Avatar perspective-taking relies on referential coding, particularly using the avatar's hand position as a reference.
- The limits of referential coding were demonstrated when participant and avatar hand positions diverged.
- Future research on perspective-taking must account for referential coding mechanisms.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory
398
Attribution theory plays a crucial role in social psychology, helping to explain how individuals interpret the causes of behavior. One prominent model within this field is Harold Kelley's covariation theory, which provides a systematic approach to determining whether internal traits or external circumstances drive a person's actions. The model posits that individuals rely on three key types of information—consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness—to make these judgments.Consensus:...
398
01:15Theory of Attribution I: Correspondent Inference Theory
336
Correspondent inference theory, proposed by Jones and Davis in 1965, seeks to explain how individuals infer stable personality traits from observed behaviors. It suggests that people attribute actions to underlying dispositions rather than external circumstances, particularly when the behavior appears intentional and socially significant.Voluntary Behavior and Dispositional AttributionAccording to this theory, individuals are more likely to attribute behavior to personal traits when it appears...
336
00:56Attribution Theory
13.7K
Behavior is a product of both the situation (e.g., cultural influences, social roles, and the presence of bystanders) and of the person (e.g., personality characteristics). Subfields of psychology tend to focus on one influence or behavior over others. Situationism is the view that our behavior and actions are determined by our immediate environment and surroundings. In contrast, dispositionism holds that our behavior is determined by internal factors (Heider, 1958).
13.7K
01:23Actor-Observer Effect
268
The actor-observer effect, a cognitive bias closely linked to the fundamental attribution error, refers to the tendency for individuals to attribute their behavior to external, situational factors while explaining others’ behavior in terms of internal, dispositional traits. This asymmetry in attribution significantly influences social perception and judgment.Cognitive Mechanisms Behind the EffectTwo primary psychological mechanisms contribute to the actor-observer effect: differences in...
268
01:14Fundamental Attribution Error
13.6K
According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is...
13.6K
02:57The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
55.2K
According to Charles Cooley, we base our image on what we think other people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley...
55.2K