Not Quite Human: What Virtual Characters Have Taught Us about Person Perception

Abstract

This chapter examines the contribution of virtual characters and animation techniques in person perception research. It analyzes the findings of cognitive neuroscience and behavioral research and discusses their implications for understanding psychological processes and the design of virtual characters and worlds. The analysis indicates that virtual characters have proven to be a valuable tool in psychological and neuroscientific research into how human actions are perceived and recognized, but there is still much to be known before either a virtual character could fully replace the need for a real human character in an experiment or a precise scientific understanding could fully specify the design of a virtual character.