Which side do you take? Instruction versus action in resolving frame of reference conflicts.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Human-avatar interaction studies show users adopt avatar perspectives, leading to avatar-based spatial reference frames.
• This perspective-taking influences object encoding and results in observable avatar-based compatibility effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether explicit instructions or action control dictates spatial perspective in human-avatar interaction.
• To determine which factor resolves frame of reference conflicts when presented with dual, conflicting avatar perspectives.

Main Methods:

• Participants performed a Simon task while simultaneously viewing two avatars with conflicting perspectives.
• Instructions directed participants to adopt one avatar's perspective, while action control involved manipulating either the instructed or opposite avatar's hands.
• Stimulus-response compatibility effects were analyzed to infer the operative spatial reference frame.

Main Results:

• A significant compatibility effect was observed based on the controlled avatar's position, irrespective of instructions.
• This indicates stimuli were encoded from the controlled avatar's spatial frame of reference.
• Action control's influence on perspective-taking superseded top-down instructional influence.

Conclusions:

• Action control is a dominant factor in establishing spatial perspective during human-avatar interaction.
• The physical act of controlling an avatar's actions shapes spatial encoding more than explicit instructions.
• Findings have implications for designing immersive virtual environments and understanding embodied cognition.