Modeling warmth and competence in virtual characters

  • Truong Huy D. Nguyen
  • , Elin Carstensdottir
  • , Nhi Ngo
  • , Magy Seif El-Nasr
  • , Matt Gray
  • , Derek Isaacowitz
  • , David Desteno

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Developing believable virtual characters has been a subject of research in many fields including graphics, animations, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interaction. One challenge towards commoditizing the use of virtual humans is the ability to algorithmically construct characters of different stereotypes. In this paper, we present our efforts in designing virtual characters that can exhibit non-verbal behaviors to reflect varying degrees of warmth and competence, two personality traits shown to underlie social judgments and form stereotypical perception. To embark on developing a computational behavior model that portrays these traits, we adopt an iterative design methodology tuning the design using theory from theatre, animation and psychology, expert reviews, user testing and feedback. Using this process we were able to construct a set of virtual characters that portray variations of warmth and competence through combination of gestures, use of space, and gaze behaviors. In this paper we discuss the design methodology, the resultant system, and initial experiment results showing the promise of the model.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIntelligent Virtual Agents - 15th International Conference, IVA 2015, Proceedings
EditorsWillem-Paul Brinkman, Joost Broekens, Dirk Heylen
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages167-180
Number of pages14
ISBN (Print)9783319219950
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015
Event15th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents, IVA 2015 - Delft, Netherlands
Duration: Aug 26 2015Aug 28 2015

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume9238
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference15th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents, IVA 2015
Country/TerritoryNetherlands
CityDelft
Period08/26/1508/28/15

Keywords

  • Believable virtual characters
  • Non-verbal behaviour
  • Personality traits

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