Project PVRE: Perceiving VR Emotions: The Role of Avatar (Facial) Abstraction in Interpreting Social Interaction

Reenacting social interactions and reflecting on them together is an established method in psychology and psychotherapy, for example when analysing conflict situations. Virtual Reality (VR) opens up new possibilities in this context: social VR interactions can be recorded and later re-experienced in a spatial and immersive way. This creates a novel medium for examining and discussing interpersonal behaviour in a more nuanced manner.

In this project, we investigate the role of visual realism in virtual avatars within such re-enactment contexts. In particular, we examine how different levels of abstraction in facial expressions affect how easily emotions can be recognized and how intensely they are perceived in a recorded social interaction. We are also interested in how this perception varies between recordings of one’s own behaviour and recordings of another person.

During the project, we will use existing technical infrastructure, including a recording and playback system for social VR interactions, face tracking to capture facial expressions and gaze, and software that synthesizes facial expressions from speech data. Building on this, we will develop experimental setups, implement prototypes to explore different levels of avatar abstraction, and conduct exploratory user studies.

During the project, students will explore questions such as: What role do facial expressions and gestures play in the interpretation of social situations? How do different levels of avatar realism influence the perception of emotions? Is recorded behaviour perceived differently when users observe their own avatar compared to that of another person? How can VR systems be designed to effectively convey social and emotional cues? And which levels of abstraction are appropriate for different situations?

The project is particularly suitable for students interested in social VR, and empirical user studies using physiological measures such as eye tracking.