Description
Blurring the Lines: Next-generation XR tech like HMDs with facial tracking and see-through displays are merging physical and virtual spaces. While promising enhanced social connection, the emphasis on visuals may create unintended communication barriers. This project delves into the short- and long-term effects of XR on social connectedness, exploring its role in mediating interactions across online and offline settings. We will use the Apple-VisionPro in this project.
Beyond Convenience: Regardless of user co-presence, XR is increasingly integrated into daily life, driven by convenience, assistance, and self-expression (e.g., avatar preference). XR's impact on social connection is likely multifaceted. While facilitating connection in some scenarios, it may hinder emotional intimacy and nonverbal cues, potentially increasing conflict risk in others.
Significance: This research will inform the design of future XR systems that promote healthy and conflict-free social interactions in both online and offline environments. The findings will be valuable to both XR developers and social psychologists studying the transformation of human communication in the digital age. Additionally, depending on the study design and outcomes, publication in a leading peer-reviewed journal is a strong possibility.
Depending on the study outcome and setup, there is an opportunity to publish this research in an international peer-reviewed journal.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This project will have you work with other students and colleagues across the University of Twente as well as collaborate with colleagues from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. This is part of the ongoing project into “Social Connectedness in Mixed Presence“ funded by a VU-UT Grant.
Research Questions
Does XR bridge or exacerbate the social connectedness gap, impacting the quality of interaction in various contexts?
Depending on the student’s interests and current state of the project the precise RQ may change. Some exemplary, more specific, questions to be tackled may be: (1) How do individuals adapt to mixed-presence settings to achieve their desired outcome (e.g., in work or leisure settings)? (2) In a diary-based self-experiment how does extended HMD VR usage change perception of the world and interactions within it? (3) What drawbacks and benefits (e.g., with regards to social cues) does the new generation of HMDs (e.g., Apple Vision Pro) have with regards to social interactions in mixed presence settings?
Type of Research
Mixed-methods research.
The ideal student should be comfortable to wear a VR headset repeatedly and be willing to do in-person data gathering at UT.
Key words
Extended reality, mediated reality, (social) presence, behavioural change, trust in technology, avatar identification
Information
Please contact Steven Watson (s.j.watson@utwente.nl) when you are interested in this assignment.
Start
Start is flexible.
This assignment can be coupled with a previous internship. If the internship route is chosen a more elaborate setup is expected to be developed and piloted.
Literature
- Kreijns, K., Xu, K., & Weidlich, J. (2022). Social presence: Conceptualization and measurement. Educational Psychology Review, 34(1), 139-170.
- Raghuram, S., Hill, N. S., Gibbs, J. L., & Maruping, L. M. (2019). Virtual work: Bridging research clusters. Academy of Management Annals, 13(1), 308-341.
- Gibson, C. (2020). From “social distancing” to “care in connecting”: An emerging organizational research agenda for turbulent times. Academy of Management Discoveries, 6(2), 165-169.
- Mitchell, A. (2023). Collaboration technology affordances from virtual collaboration in the time of COVID-19 and post-pandemic strategies. Information Technology & People, 36(5), 1982-2008.
- Mann, S. (2002). Mediated reality with implementations for everyday life. Presence Connect, 1, 2002.
- Mann, S., & Barfield, W. (2003). Introduction to mediated reality. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 15(2), 205-208.
- Cerekovic, A., Aran, O., & Gatica-Perez, D. (2016). Rapport with virtual agents: What do human social cues and personality explain?. IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, 8(3), 382-395.
- Choudhary, Z., Gottsacker, M., Kim, K., Schubert, R., Stefanucci, J., Bruder, G., & Welch, G. F. (2021, March). Revisiting distance perception with scaled embodied cues in social virtual reality. In 2021 IEEE Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR) (pp. 788-797). IEEE.
- Felnhofer, A., Hlavacs, H., Beutl, L., Kryspin-Exner, I., & Kothgassner, O. D. (2019). Physical presence, social presence, and anxiety in participants with social anxiety disorder during virtual cue exposure. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22(1), 46-50.