Similar social presence effects when reaching for real and digital objects

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Social Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Neural representations differ for real objects and digital images, potentially influencing behavior.
• Previous research shows social presence affects object-directed reaches, but not image-directed ones, leaving the role of social presence unclear.
• The impact of social presence on actions towards real versus digitally represented stimuli requires direct comparison.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the unique contribution of social presence to reaching behaviors.
• To compare the effects of social presence on actions directed towards real objects versus digital images.
• To determine if social observation influences movement efficiency and speed similarly for both stimulus types.

Main Methods:

• Participants engaged in a shape-matching game involving real objects and digital images.
• Reaching movements were analyzed for speed and efficiency.
• The study manipulated social presence by including a passive observer (experimenter).

Main Results:

• Movement speed and efficiency were reduced when participants were observed by the experimenter.
• This effect of social presence was consistent across both real objects and digital images.
• Social presence similarly impacted reaching behavior regardless of the stimulus modality.

Conclusions:

• Social presence significantly influences object- and image-directed reaching behavior.
• The findings support the use of digital stimuli to study social effects on actions, as they mimic responses to real objects.
• Computer-generated objects can serve as valid proxies for real objects in research on social influences on motor actions.