Law and the Emotive Avatar

The barriers between fantasy and reality in virtual worlds are becoming increasingly permeable. There is a rhetorical need among some legal scholars to distinguish between a law of virtual worlds or concepts of net-sovereignty and the so-called real world. These metaphorical distinctions are unhelpful and confuse the issues as to exactly what is being regulated. A more productive line of analysis is to consider the avatar as an extension of the individual or an agent of the individual in virtual spaces and then to shift the focus of analysis away from the avatar and back to the individual because it is the potential negative effects that virtual behavior may have on real-world individuals that the law seeks to regulate. This leads to a question of when virtual behavior should be punished. This Article examines some conceptions of computer-mediated communication (CMC) or non-verbal communication (NVC) to suggest that this area of research is useful in understanding the nature of the relationship between the individual and the avatar. Together CMC and NVC are useful tools to understand a human-avatar relationship. An evaluation of the quality of this human-avatar relationship is essential when determining whether virtual harm done to an avatar has a sufficient nexus with the real-world individual so that the law should intervene either criminally or civilly. This Article then discusses the personhood rational to protect property rights and the tort of negligent infliction of emotional distress as two possible legal theories that are dependent on the quality of the relationship and as two real-world legal theories that are potentially applicable in virtual worlds depending on the nexus between the individual and avatar. This inevitably leads to the question of when a virtual injury to the emotive avatar in a virtual world should be legally sanctioned. This Article suggests that the law of the real world should be modeled on the existing body of law governing real-world games as one possible model. Private law-making, such as terms of service agreements, end user licenses, and private agreements among players, either explicitly stated or expressed as social norms, should provide the law governing the relationship among avatars and consent by their human principles for the injuries received while immersed in a virtual world. These private agreements may be also used to criminalize extreme behavior in virtual spaces by novel uses of existing laws such as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Consequently, there is already a relatively complete and evolving body of law governing virtual world conduct and its effects in the real world

Can more be less? An experimental test of the resource curse

Several scholars have argued that abundant natural resources can be harmful to economic performance under bad institutions and helpful when institutions are good. These arguments have either been theoretical or based on naturally-occurring variation in natural resource wealth. We test this theory using a laboratory experiment to reap the benefits of randomized control. We conduct this experiment in a virtual world (Second LifeTM) to make institutions more visceral. We find support for the theory

Can more be less? An experimental test of the resource curse

Several scholars have argued that abundant natural resources can be harmful to economic performance under bad institutions and helpful when institutions are good. These arguments have either been theoretical or based on naturally-occurring variation in natural resource wealth. We test this theory using a laboratory experiment to reap the benefits of randomized control. We conduct this experiment in a virtual world (Second LifeTM) to make institutions more visceral. We find support for the theory

온라인 상품평의 질과 상품평 작성자의 사진이 상품 및 쇼핑몰에 대한 소비자 평가에 미치는 영향

학위논문 (석사)-- 서울대학교 대학원 : 언론정보학과, 2012. 8. 이은주.본 연구는 온라인 상품평의 질과 상품평 작성자의 사진이 소비자의 태도 형성에 미치는 효과를 밝히고자 했다. 이와 동시에, 상품 유형이 상품평의 질과 작성자 사진의 효과에 어떠한 변화를 줄 수 있는지, 즉 상품 유형의 중재 효과 가능성에 대해서 살펴 보았다. 이를 위해, 2 (상품평의 질: 높음 vs. 낮음) x 2 (상품평 작성자 표현: 실제 사진 vs. 도형) x 2 (상품 유형: 경험재 vs. 검색재) 요인설계를 적용한 실험을 252 명의 대학생을 대상으로 온라인에서 실시했다. 실험에 사용된 상품평들은 대부분 해당 상품에 대해 긍정적인 태도를 취하도록 고정되었다. 실험 결과 발견된 주요한 결과는 다음과 같다. 먼저, 고품질 상품평을 읽은 참여자들의 경우, 저품질 상품평을 읽은 참여자들에 비해 상품평 작성자, 해당 상품, 그리고 온라인 쇼핑몰 웹사이트을 더욱 긍정적으로 평가하는 경향을 보였다. 다음으로, 상품평 작성자들의 사진은 도형(느낌표)과 사회적 실재감에서 차이를 보이지 않았으며, 나아가 상품평 작성자, 해당 상품, 그리고 쇼핑몰 웹사이트에 대한 평가에서도 차이를 보이지 않았다. 하지만, 사진이 있을 때, 사람들은 고품질 상품평을 읽었을 때, 저품질 상품평을 읽었을 때에 비해 더 쇼핑몰을 긍정적으로 평가하는 경향을 보였다. 또한, 사람들은 사진을 보았을 때 판매자로부터 주어진 상품 설명을 정확히 기억하지 못하는데 반해, 상품평의 내용을 기억하는 능력에서는 사진을 보지 못한 사람들과 차이가 없었다. 마지막으로, 상품 유형은 상품평 작성자의 사진과는 상호작용이 없었지만, 상품평의 질과의 상호작용효과가 존재했다. 즉, 실제 구매 후 경험하기 이전에도 쉽게 상품의 질을 예측할 수 있는 검색재의 경우, 고품질 상품평이 저품질 상품평에 비해 상품 구매 의사를 더 증가시켰지만, 실제 경험 없이 상품의 품질을 측정하기 어려운 경험재의 경우에는 고품질 상품평과 저품질 상품평 간에 구매 의사 차이가 나타나지 않았다. 이상의 결과들이 갖는 이론적 및 실용적 함의를 논의에 제시했다.This study aimed to elucidate the effects of review quality and reviewer representation in forming consumers attitudes. In so doing, if, and if so, how product type varies the effects of those two factors was also explored. In order to answer these questions, a 2 (review quality: high vs. low) x 2 (reviewer representation: photos vs. abstract figure) x 2 (product type: experience vs. search) between-subject experiment was conducted online. The product reviews used were mostly positive toward the target product. First, participants who read high quality product reviews evaluated the reviewers, product and seller website more positively than those who read low quality reviews. Second, reviewers profile photos did not evoke higher or lesser social presence than abstract figures did. Likewise, there was no difference in evaluations of reviewers, product, and website between photos and figures. However, photos made people more likely to differentiate high quality reviews from low quality reviews, with high quality reviews eliciting more positive website evaluation than low quality reviews. In addition, photos hindered correct recognition of product descriptions (information given by the seller), although they did not significantly alter the recall of review content (information given by the reviewers). Third, product type interacted with review quality, but not with reviewer representation. For search goods, which refers to the products whose quality is easily predicted before purchase, high quality reviews significantly increased purchase intention. However, the effect of review quality was not found for experience goods, which are defined as the products whose values are hardly assessed before firsthand experience. Theoretical and practical implications of these results were discussed.Introduction 1 Literature Review 4 EFFECTS OF REVIEW QUALITY 4 EFFECTS OF REVIEWER REPRESENTATION 8 PRODUCT TYPE AS A MODERATOR 17 Research Questions and Hypotheses 24 Method 27 PILOT TEST 1 27 PILOT TEST 2 28 MAIN EXPERIMENT 34 Participants 34 Procedure 34 Experiment stimuli 34 Measures 38 Results 41 MANIPULATION CHECK 41 HYPOTHESIS TESTS 41 Affective reactions 41 Behavioral intention 46 Cognitive reactions 48 Discussion 51 THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS 51 LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS 55 Conclusion 59 References 60Maste

A Systematic Review of Social Presence: Definition, Antecedents, and Implications

Social presence, or the feeling of being there with a “real” person, is a crucial component of interactions that take place in virtual reality. This paper reviews the concept, antecedents, and implications of social presence, with a focus on the literature regarding the predictors of social presence. The article begins by exploring the concept of social presence, distinguishing it from two other dimensions of presence—telepresence and self-presence. After establishing the definition of social presence, the article offers a systematic review of 233 separate findings identified from 152 studies that investigate the factors (i.e., immersive qualities, contextual differences, and individual psychological traits) that predict social presence. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of heightened social presence and when it does and does not enhance one's experience in a virtual environment

Creating More Credible and Likable Travel Recommender Systems: The Influence of Virtual Agents on Travel Recommender System Evaluation

To help online trip planners, some online travel agencies and travel service providers have adopted travel recommender systems. Although these systems are expected to support travelers in complex decision-making processes, they are not used efficiently by travelers due to a lack of confidence in the recommendations they provide. It is important to examine factors that can influence the likelihood of recommendations to be accepted and integrated into decision-making processes. The persuasion literature suggests that people are more likely to accept recommendations from credible and likable sources. It has also been found that technologies can be more credible and likable when they give a variety of social cues that elicit social responses from their human users. Thus, it is argued that enhancing the social aspects of travel recommender systems is important to create more persuasive systems. One approach to enhancing the social presence of recommender systems is to use a virtual agent. Current travel recommender systems use various types of virtual agents. However, it is still not clear how those virtual agents are perceived by travel recommender system users and influence users' system evaluations and interactions with these systems. Consequently, this dissertation aimed to investigate the influence of virtual agents presented in travel recommender systems on system users' perceptions. Specifically, the virtual agents' anthropomorphism as well as similarity and authority cues on system users' perceptions of system credibility and liking were examined. For this purpose, two experiments were conducted. For Study 1, the impacts of anthropomorphism of the virtual agents on users' perceptions of virtual agents as well as recommender systems in terms of credibility and attractiveness/liking were examined. Anthropomorphism was manipulated with visual human appearance and voice output. Study 2 tested the influence of virtual agents? similarity and authority on travel recommender system users' perceptions of virtual agents and system credibility and attractiveness/liking. Similarity and authority of the virtual agent were tested by manipulating nonverbal cues (age and outfit) of the agent. The results showed that the characteristics of virtual agents have some influences on system users' perceptions of virtual agents as well as recommender systems. Specifically, a human-like appearance of the virtual agent is found to positively influence users' perceived attractiveness of the virtual agent while voice outputs were found to enhance users' liking of the system (Study 1). Findings also indicate that RS users' perceptions of virtual agent expertise are increased when virtual agents wear a uniform rather than a casual outfit (Study 2). In addition, system users' perceptions of the virtual agent's credibility are found to have a significant influence on users' perceived credibility and liking of the overall system, which implies an important role of virtual agents in recommender system evaluations. Further, perceived credibility and liking of recommender systems lead to favorable evaluations of the recommendations, which, in turn, increase users' intentions to travel to the recommended destination. Past travel recommender system studies have largely neglected the social role of recommender systems as advice givers. Also, it is not clear whether the specific characteristics of virtual agents presented as a part of the system interface influence system users' perceptions. This dissertation sought to close this knowledge gap. By applying classic interpersonal communication theories to human and system relationships, this dissertation expands the scope of traditional theories used in the context of studying recommender systems. Further, the results of the research presented in this dissertation provide insights for tourism marketing as well as practical implications for travel recommender system design

Developing an Affect-Aware Rear-Projected Robotic Agent

Social (or Sociable) robots are designed to interact with people in a natural and interpersonal manner. They are becoming an integrated part of our daily lives and have achieved positive outcomes in several applications such as education, health care, quality of life, entertainment, etc. Despite significant progress towards the development of realistic social robotic agents, a number of problems remain to be solved. First, current social robots either lack enough ability to have deep social interaction with human, or they are very expensive to build and maintain. Second, current social robots have yet to reach the full emotional and social capabilities necessary for rich and robust interaction with human beings. To address these problems, this dissertation presents the development of a low-cost, flexible, affect-aware rear-projected robotic agent (called ExpressionBot), that is designed to support verbal and non-verbal communication between the robot and humans, with the goal of closely modeling the dynamics of natural face-to-face communication. The developed robotic platform uses state-of-the-art character animation technologies to create an animated human face (aka avatar) that is capable of showing facial expressions, realistic eye movement, and accurate visual speech, and then project this avatar onto a face-shaped translucent mask. The mask and the projector are then rigged onto a neck mechanism that can move like a human head. Since an animation is projected onto a mask, the robotic face is highly flexible research tool, mechanically simple, and low-cost to design, build and maintain compared with mechatronic and android faces. The results of our comprehensive Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) studies illustrate the benefits and values of the proposed rear-projected robotic platform over a virtual-agent with the same animation displayed on a 2D computer screen. The results indicate that ExpressionBot is well accepted by users, with some advantages in expressing facial expressions more accurately and perceiving mutual eye gaze contact. To improve social capabilities of the robot and create an expressive and empathic social agent (affect-aware) which is capable of interpreting users\u27 emotional facial expressions, we developed a new Deep Neural Networks (DNN) architecture for Facial Expression Recognition (FER). The proposed DNN was initially trained on seven well-known publicly available databases, and obtained significantly better than, or comparable to, traditional convolutional neural networks or other state-of-the-art methods in both accuracy and learning time. Since the performance of the automated FER system highly depends on its training data, and the eventual goal of the proposed robotic platform is to interact with users in an uncontrolled environment, a database of facial expressions in the wild (called AffectNet) was created by querying emotion-related keywords from different search engines. AffectNet contains more than 1M images with faces and 440,000 manually annotated images with facial expressions, valence, and arousal. Two DNNs were trained on AffectNet to classify the facial expression images and predict the value of valence and arousal. Various evaluation metrics show that our deep neural network approaches trained on AffectNet can perform better than conventional machine learning methods and available off-the-shelf FER systems. We then integrated this automated FER system into spoken dialog of our robotic platform to extend and enrich the capabilities of ExpressionBot beyond spoken dialog and create an affect-aware robotic agent that can measure and infer users\u27 affect and cognition. Three social/interaction aspects (task engagement, being empathic, and likability of the robot) are measured in an experiment with the affect-aware robotic agent. The results indicate that users rated our affect-aware agent as empathic and likable as a robot in which user\u27s affect is recognized by a human (WoZ). In summary, this dissertation presents the development and HRI studies of a perceptive, and expressive, conversational, rear-projected, life-like robotic agent (aka ExpressionBot or Ryan) that models natural face-to-face communication between human and emapthic agent. The results of our in-depth human-robot-interaction studies show that this robotic agent can serve as a model for creating the next generation of empathic social robots