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Cognitive Emotions Facial reactions Language Perception Self-prioritization effect SNARC Social

  • Users may perceive virtual characters as more emotionally expressive when idle animations are active

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    In a study conducted in 2021, researchers investigated the influence of idle motion on the perception of emotion expressed by virtual characters. In the primary task, 32 participants had to watch ten visual-only video clips of a virtual character showing different intensities of pain, with or without body neutral animation, and assess that pain perception by choosing one of two labels “Mild pain” or “Very intense pain”. Authors created the video-clips with the 3D software Blender and the facial expressions with the Paul Ekman FACS framework. They used motion capture to recreate a natural oscillation of the body. The analytical approach involved comparing perceived intensity of the pain expression in the idle and still condition, using a two-tailed paired t-test. Confounders like vision level were controled. Among other hypothesis, the primary hypothesis which posited that the presence of subtle movements would affect how intensely the virtual character’s facial expression of pain is perceived, was supported by the results with a moderate (p. 4) effect size. This overview provides a concise synthesis of the most relevant results. For more details, please refer to the article page.

    Add natural postural oscillations to a virtual character as it may enhances the perception of its emotions, evoking a greater empathic response from users.

    Treal, T., Jackson, P. L., Jeuvrey, J., Vignais, N., & Meugnot, A. (2021). Natural human postural oscillations enhance the empathic response to a facial pain expression in a virtual character. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91710-5

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  • Young users may experience rewards more intensely when peers are observing

    In a study conducted in 2015, researchers investigated how peer observation affects the processing of rewards in adolescents and adults. In the primary task, 40 participants had to play a card game on a computer, where they had to guess if the number behind a card would be lower or higher than 5. Brain activity data was recorded using a fMRI device, and participants may or may not be with a peer. The analytical approach involved comparing brain activity for different ages and social context, using repeated measures GLM and ANOVAs. Confounders like differences in reward history for each participant were controled. Among other hypothesis, the primary hypothesis which posited that reward system becomes more active for adolescents when friends are around, pushing them to more engagement, was supported by the results with a large (p. 81) effect size. Authors relate to litterature to explain how adolescent engagement can lead to positive or risky behaviors. This overview provides a concise synthesis of the most relevant results. For more details, please refer to the article page.

    If you create an experience that provides rewards for adolescent users, think about allowing peers of the same age and gender to witness those rewards, but keep in mind that it may have implications for both positive and risky behaviors.

    Smith, A. R., Steinberg, L., Strang, N. M., & Chein, J. (2015). Age differences in the impact of peers on adolescents’ and adults’ neural response to reward. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 11, 75–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2014.08.010

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  • Users may be less efficient scanning complex interfaces when a peer is present

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    In a study conducted in 2020, researchers investigated if presence of others influences attention, eye movements, and decision-making processes. In the primary task, 79 participants had to fixate a dot cue on the screen center and find a target among distractors in the screen, while a familiar partner may or may not be present in the room. Authors used an eye-tracking device to measure eye movements. The analytical approach involved comparing comparing means of reaction times for saccades, visual search and continuous performance, with different factors like condition and difficulty in ANOVAS. Confounders like vision and neurologic or psychiatric history were controled. Among other hypothesis, the primary hypothesis which posited that presence of a mere family member would influence visual reaction times, was supported by the results with a large (p. 9) effect size. The results indicated that peer presence did not have a significant influence on the visual search and continuous performance tasks. This overview provides a concise synthesis of the most relevant results. For more details, please refer to the article page.

    Consider how users’ scanning of an interface might change—either getting better or worse—when they’re working on a task with a friend nearby.

    Tricoche, L., Ferrand-Verdejo, J., Pélisson, D., & Meunier, M. (2020). Peer presence effects on eye movements and attentional performance. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00280

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  • Users may search for specific ratings depending of the global rating valence

    In a study conducted in 2021, researchers investigated the interaction between aggregated rating and personal rating on consumers’ perception of online consumer reviews. In the primary task, some participants had to making judgments about the usefulness of online reviews while their neural responses were measured. The analytical approach involved comparing brain response of participants while judging individual reviews in different conditions, such as positive aggregated reviews or negative aggregated reviews. Confounders like (not explicited) were controled. Among other hypothesis, the primary hypothesis which posited that a high personal rating would be perceived as less useful when the aggregated rating is low, but this effect may be mitigated when the aggregated rating is high, was supported by the results with a not found effect size. Unfortunately, there is no free access to the original article. This overview provides a concise synthesis of the most relevant results. For more details, please refer to the article page.

    Unfortunately, there is no free access to the original article.

    When designing ratings, if the global rating is low, consider displaying more negative ratings as they are more useful for users.

    Liu, J., Mo, Z., Fu, H., He, J., & Liang, Z. (2021). Aggregated rating moderates the effect of personal rating on perceived review usefulness: An event-related potentials study. Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics, 14(4), 222–233. https://doi.org/10.1037/npe0000149

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  • Users may be more emotionally influenced by watching mouth expressions

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    In a study conducted in 2021, researchers investigated how people’s faces react to facial expressions in art. In the primary task, 47 participants had to watch various images depicting facial expressions, including faces rendered in different artistic styles—both realistic and abstract—along with varying levels of emotional intensity, while their own facial expressions were monitored using electrodes. The analytical approach involved comparing intensity of participants’ facial reactions across different facial muscles, comparing responses to realistic and nonrealistic images as well as the varying levels of emotional intensity portrayed in the images. Confounders like image classification and perceived emotion intensity were controled. Among other hypothesis, the primary hypothesis which posited that facial mimicry would happen to participants who are observing nonrealistic images as well as realistic, was supported by the results with a not found effect size. The authors suggest that participants mimicked mouth expressions most significantly. This overview provides a concise synthesis of the most relevant results. For more details, please refer to the article page.

    To use emotional contagion, mouth expressions are the strongest trigger. Emotional contagion can come from non-photographic faces like paintings and sculptings.

    Achour-Benallegue, A., Amarantini, D., Paubel, P.-V., Pelletier, J., & Kaminski, G. (2021). Facial reactions to face representations in art: An electromyography study. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000423

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  • Users may be more subject to misinformation when using non-native language

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    In a study conducted in 2023, researchers investigated how reading news in a native or foreign language impact the way we beleive it or not.. In the primary task, 300 participants had to read newstitles and judge if a news seemed more true or false. Authors used temporary deception by making half of the newstitles false. Newstitles were randomly displayed in the native or foreign language of the participant. The analytical approach involved comparing type of news, language of news, native or foreign language of participant (authors refer to a “linear mixed-effects analysis”). Confounders like perceived arousal of news and general English proficiency were controled. Among other hypothesis, the primary hypothesis which posited that fake news would be more beleived in foreign language than native language (and true news would be more beleived in native language than foreign language), was supported by the results with a not found effect size. This overview provides a concise synthesis of the most relevant results. For more details, please refer to the article page.

    When using their non-native language, users may be less critical of news content, making them more susceptible to misinformation.

    Muda, R., Pennycook, G., Hamerski, D., & Białek, M. (2023). People are worse at detecting fake news in their foreign language. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000475

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  • Users may prefer to identify themselves with symmetrical shapes

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    In a study conducted in 2022, researchers investigated the link between symmetry and self-identification. In the primary task, 30 participants had to indicate whether a randomly generated, symmetrical or asymmetrical shape correctly matched the previously defined “YOU” or “STRANGER” label. The analytical approach involved comparing reaction times with a paired-sample one-tailed t-test, and ANOVAs for comparing between experimental conditions. Confounders like distance from the screen, background color were controled. Among other hypothesis, the primary hypothesis which posited that the shapes associated with the participants would be recognized more quickly when they were symmetrical, was supported by the results with a large (p. 10) effect size. This overview provides a concise synthesis of the most relevant results. For more details, please refer to the article page.

    To virtually represent a user, use symmetrical shapes, and leave asymmetrical shapes to others, to reinforce positive affects.

    Vicovaro, M., Dalmaso, M., & Bertamini, M. (2022). Towards the boundaries of self-prioritization: Associating the self with asymmetric shapes disrupts the self-prioritization effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 48(9), 972–986. https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0001036

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  • Users may overestimate the brightness of positively valenced objects

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    In a study conducted in 2007, researchers investigated the link between positive and negative statements with bright and dark. In the primary task, 40 participants had to tell if a square was the bright one or the dark one after judging valence of positive or negative word that were displayed on a screen. Authors used temporary deception by telling participants that the square brightness would not be the same after each word, when it actually was. The analytical approach involved comparing mean percentage of light square responses for each word valence with a repeated-measures t test. Confounders like word frequency and color inherently associated with words were controled. Among other hypothesis, the primary hypothesis which posited that the displayed words would influence brightness perception, was supported by the results with a large (p. 368) effect size. This overview provides a concise synthesis of the most relevant results. For more details, please refer to the article page.

    It is likely that the brightness of intrinsically good objects will be overestimated by the users perception.

    Meier, B. P., Robinson, M. D., Crawford, L. E., & Ahlvers, W. J. (2007). When “light” and “dark” thoughts become light and dark responses: Affect biases brightness judgments. Emotion, 7(2), 366–376. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.7.2.366

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  • You may influence eye direction of users by displaying big or small numbers on the screen

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    In a study conducted in 2016, researchers investigated how our attention and eyes react when we hear numbers. In the primary task, 17 participants had to fix the center of a screen while listening to small or large numbers, pressing a key when number 5 is prononced. The analytical approach involved comparing time-series data of eye positions when displaying small or large numbers. Confounders like right- or left-dominant eyes were controled. Among other hypothesis, the primary hypothesis which posited that the participants eyes would not maintain central fixation depending on the number they heard, was supported by the results with a not found effect size. This overview provides a concise synthesis of the most relevant results. For more details, please refer to the article page.

    It is likely that showing users a small number will shift their attention to the left side of the screen space while large numbers may result in a shift to the right instead.

    Myachykov, A., Ellis, R., Cangelosi, A., & Fischer, M. H. (2016). Ocular drift along the mental number line. Psychological Research, 80(3), 379–388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-015-0731-4

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  • Users may perceive numbers better when the small one is on the left of the screen and the large one on the right

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    In a study conducted in 1993, researchers investigated if our brains had a preferred direction for each number size (left or right for small or big numbers). In the primary task, 20 participants had to observe numbers displayed on a screen and indicate if those numbers were odd or even, using a left or right button that would vary each time. The analytical approach involved comparing interactions between each experimental variables in an ANOVA. Confounders like right-handed, domain of study (letters or science) were controled. Among other hypothesis, the primary hypothesis which posited that number magnitude would predict the left or right speed response, was supported by the results with a not found effect size. This overview provides a concise synthesis of the most relevant results. For more details, please refer to the article page.

    It is likely that when displaying numbers, you will ease user perception by putting the small number to the left and the big number to the right, even if the big one is negative.

    Dehaene, S., Bossini, S., & Giraux, P. (1993). The mental representation of parity and number magnitude. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 122(3), 371–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.122.3.371

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