My dissertation work was completed in the Mixed Reality Lab at NCSU under the direction of Dr. Derek Ham (School of Design) and Dr. Eric Wiebe (School of Education and Human Factors Psychology). 

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Introduction!

Digital communication methods such as social media, texting, skype, etc. account for a significant amount of social interactions; however, in the coming decade, virtual reality (VR) is likely to appropriate much of this space from traditional 2D computer-mediated applications. While VR is not new, its price point has dramatically decreased in the last couple years making mass consumer use of VR a likely event in the near future (Bailenson, 2018), and although VR has the potential to fundamentally change the way humans interact in virtual spaces, research is still needed to understand the psychological effects of communication conducted via this medium (Bailenson, 2018; Rubin, 2018). The current series of studies will first compare how different communication mediums (i.e., video chat, voice only, and VR) affect self-disclosure and social presence (i.e., feeling like you are there with another person) and then, looking specifically at VR, evaluate how avatar appearance affects self-disclosure and social presence. 

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A Tale of Two Studies!

Study One

Research question: How does communication medium (e.g., virtual reality, video chat, voice only) affect self-disclosure and social presence during a conversation (closeness-generating) between dyads? 

• Social presence = In digital environments, feeling like you actually are there with another person

• Self-disclosure and social presence have both been linked to feeling connected with and liking a conversation partner. Therefore, they are useful variables to study connection in digital environments. 

 

Why is this Question Important? Study one will benefit society because it answers whether VR is better for both communication and connection than traditional 2D screen-based mediums. This has implications in multiple domains, such as education and training systems, business conferencing, social media use, etc. as the results could influence the decision to use a VR versus 2D screen-based method for online communication. 

 

Study Two

Research question: How does avatar appearance (e.g., Human look-alike vs Robot Avatar) affect self-disclosure and social presence during a conversation (closeness-generating) between dyads? ​

 

Why is this Question Important? The results of this study could help designers decide how they would like to structure the avatar creation/selection component of their VR programs. For instance, there is significant research demonstrating that user's behaviors change depending on how their avatars look (i.e., the proteus effect). This study will answer how users react in terms of forming connections with other users when their avatars look like their real-world selves vs do not look like their real-world selves in VR environments.  

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What environment and equipment are we using for both studies? 

 

• AltspaceVR (An online social VR platform for socializing)​​

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• Oculus Quest Headsets! 
   

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This work will be presented at the 2022 Human Factors and                    Ergonomic Conference.

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