How does varying gaze direction affect interaction between a virtual agent and participant in an on-line communication scenario?

Adam Qureshi, Christopher Peters, Ian Apperly

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference proceeding (ISBN)peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Computer based perspective taking tasks in cognitive psychology often utilise static images and auditory instructions to assess online communication. Results are then explained in terms of theory of mind (the ability to understand that other agents have different beliefs, desires and knowledge to oneself).The current study utilises a scenario in which participants were required to select objects in a grid after listening to instructions from an on-screen director. The director was positioned behind the grid from the participants' view. As objects in some slots were concealed from the view of the director, participants needed to take the perspective of the director into account in order to respond accurately. Results showed that participants reliably made errors, attributable to not using the information from the director's perspective efficiently, rather than not being able to take the director's perspective. However, the fact that the director was represented by a static sprite meant that even for a laboratory based experiment, the level of realism was low. This could have affected the level of participant engagement with the director and the task. This study, a collaboration between computer science and psychology, advances the static sprite model by incorporating head movement into a more realistic on-screen director with the aim of a.) Improving engagement and b.) investigating whether gaze direction affects accuracy and response times of object selection. Results suggest that gaze direction can influence the speed of accurate object selection, but only slightly and in certain situations; specifically those complex enough to warrant the participant paying additional attention to gaze direction and those that highlight perspective differences between themselves and the director. This in turn suggests that engagement with a virtual agent could be improved by taking these factors into account.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationVirtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality
Subtitle of host publicationDesigning and Developing Virtual and Augmented Environments - 6th International Conference, VAMR 2014, Held as Part of HCI International 2014, Proceedings
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages305-316
Number of pages12
EditionPART 1
ISBN (Print)9783319074573
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Event6th International Conference on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, VAMR 2014 - Held as Part of 16th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCI International 2014 - Heraklion, Crete, Greece
Duration: 22 Jun 201427 Jun 2014

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
NumberPART 1
Volume8525 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference6th International Conference on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, VAMR 2014 - Held as Part of 16th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCI International 2014
Country/TerritoryGreece
CityHeraklion, Crete
Period22/06/1427/06/14

Keywords

  • engagement
  • gaze direction
  • on-line communication
  • Theory of mind

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