TOWARDS A PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN TECHNOLOGY: Outlook on cognitive enhancements in Avatar/ Virtual Reality schizophrenia therapy

This article hinges on a complex and interdisciplinary field of study named “Philosophy of Human Technology” in which a first non-exhaustive map of ethical, legal and social, technological issues is presented: Technologies constitute, magnify, amplify human experiences, but can also enslave or put human experience and life at risk for example what concerns the right to a “private Life”. The second part of this paper proposes to think three possible interfaces of the topic of Human Cognitive Enhancement. Firstly the Body-electronic interface such as in the organ-on a chip simulation of an externalized human organ function, secondly the optogenetic and general genetic “editing” interface in which new technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 open up questions for the future of human beings and our self-determination. Third -and more explicitly- the virtual-immersive interface, exemplified by cognitive enhancement by Avatar schizophrenia therapy and uncanny valley effects of digital body doubles will be introduced. The classic rubber-hand illusion had brought new insights into the plasticity of the body- image and the embodiment of the self, by underlining the strong influence of exteroception for the transformation of the bodily self. We will follow these thoughts on Avatar enhancements in schizophrenia therapy and scrutinize as well research ethical issues. Finally a short outlook on the question of two different types of technological detachment in tension in a Philosophy of Human Technology in which Cognitive Enhancement technologies are subjected to two types of technological detachments a) material/somatic substitution and b) detachment as a topos of independence and autonomy is hinted on

A computer based system to design expressive avatars

Avatars are used in different contexts and situations: e-commerce, e-therapy, virtual worlds, videogames,collaborative online design... In this context, a good design of an avatar may improve the user experience. The ability of controlling the way an avatar convey messages and emotions is capital. In this work, a procedure to design avatar faces capable of conveying to the observer the most suitable sensations according to a given context is developed. The proposed system is based on a combination of genetic algorithms and artificial neural networks whose training is based on perceptual human responses to a set of faces.Diego-Mas, JA.; Alcaide Marzal, J. (2015). A computer based system to design expressive avatars. Computers in Human Behavior. 44:1-11. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.027S1114

Watching Storytelling: Visual Information in Oral Narratives

Oral narratives, though prolific, are increasingly being shared via some form of electronic mediation, and yet they are often glossed over in regard to the study of narrative. This study was designed to address the unique nature of oral narratives focusing on the information channels utilized by participants in their co-creation of stories. A comparative case study was undertaken of three groups who employed a variety of synchronous and asynchronous electronic mediation in their storytelling. Viewed through the lenses of Narratology and Social Presence Theory a combination of participant observation and qualitative semi-structured exploratory narrative interviews were undertaken with participants from 1001 Friday Nights of Storytelling, The Moth, and The Storyteller’s Guild of Second Life. Over three years several hundred stories (via 112 tellers) were observed at 38 storytelling sessions (14 live and in-person; 14 live and virtual; and five each of fixed video and or audio) at numerous venues. During these sessions the telling and listening behaviours of 227 participants were noted, 15 of which were subsequently interviewed. Multiple sources of visual information were observed and identified, three of which were selected for in-depth consideration, namely kinesics, reciprocity, and space. Conclusions derived from this study include that: Visual information shared during storytelling is prolific; Listening is not a passive experience, with reciprocities varying with the mediations utilized; The spaces in which we share stories influence our experiences of said stories; Co-create stories are unique for each participant; and Technological mediation between participants does affect the stories being co-created

TOWARDS A PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN TECHNOLOGY: OUTLOOK ON COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENTS IN AVATAR/ VIRTUAL REALITY SCHIZOPHRENIA THERAPY

N/

The Effects of Instructor-Avatar Immediacy in Second Life, an Immersive and Interactive 3D Virtual Environment

Growing interest of educational institutions in desktop 3D graphic virtual environments for hybrid and distance education prompts questions on the efficacy of such tools. Virtual worlds, such as Second Life®, enable computer-mediated immersion and interactions encompassing multimodal communication channels including audio, video, and text-. These are enriched by avatar-mediated body language and physical manipulation of the environment. In this para-physical world, instructors and students alike employ avatars to establish their social presence in a wide variety of curricular and extra-curricular contexts. As a proxy for the human body in synthetic 3D environments, an avatar represents a \u27real\u27 human computer user and incorporates default behavior patterns (e.g., autonomous gestures such as changes in body orientation or movement of hands) as well as expressive movements directly controlled by the user through keyboard \u27shortcuts.\u27 Use of headset microphones and various stereophonic effects allows users to project their speech directly from the apparent location of their avatar. In addition, personalized information displays allow users to share graphical information, including text messages and hypertext links. These \u27channels\u27 of information constituted an integrated and dynamic framework for projecting avatar \u27immediacy\u27 behaviors (including gestures, intonation, and patterns of interaction with students), that may positively or negatively affect the degree to which other observers of the virtual world perceive the user represented by the avatar as \u27socially present\u27 in the virtual world. This study contributes to the nascent research on educational implementations of Second Life in higher education. Although education researchers have investigated the impact of instructor immediacy behaviors on student perception of instructor social presence, students\u27 satisfaction, motivation, and learning, few researchers have examined the effects of immediacy behaviors in a 3D virtual environment or the effects of immediacy behaviors manifested by avatars representing instructors. The study employed a two-factor experimental design to investigate the relationship between instructor avatars\u27 immediacy behaviors (high vs. low) and students\u27 perception of instructor immediacy, instructor social presence, student avatars co-presence and learning outcomes in Second Life. The study replicates and extends aspects of an earlier study conducted by Maria Schutt, Brock S. Allen, and Mark Laumakis, including components of the experimental treatments that manipulated the frequency of various types of immediacy behaviors identified by other researchers as potentially related to perception of social presence in face-to-face and mediated instruction. Participants were 281 students enrolled in an introductory psychology course at San Diego State University who were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Each group viewed a different version of the 28-minute teaching session in Second Life on current perspective in psychology. Data were gathered from student survey responses and tests on the lesson content. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences between the treatment groups (F (3,113) = 6.5,p = .000). Students who viewed the high immediacy machinimas (Group 1 HiHi and Group 2 HiLo) rated the immediacy behaviors of the instructor-avatar more highly than those who viewed the low-immediacy machinimas (Group 3 LoHi and Group 4 LoLo). Findings also demonstrate strong correlations between students\u27 perception of instructor avatar immediacy and instructor social presence (r = .769). These outcomes in the context of a 3D virtual world are consistent with findings on instructor immediacy and social presence literature in traditional and online classes. Results relative to learning showed that all groups tested higher after viewing the treatment, with no significant differences between groups. Recommendations for current and future practice of using instructor-avatars include paralanguage behaviors such as voice quality, emotion and prosodic features and nonverbal behaviors such as proxemics and gestures, facial expression, lip synchronization and eye contact

VR content and its prosocial impact: predictors, moderators, and mediators of media effects. A systematic literature review

The main purpose of this paper is to explore the prosocial impact of virtual reality (VR) audiovisual content based on a systematic literature review of empirical research on immersive VR media's potential to elicit prosocial behaviors. The illusion of place, verisimilitude, and virtual corporeality are the main elements that underpin the creation of immersive experiences that can turn the user into an active subject of the narrative, engaging with the audiovisual content and feeling the emotions it elicits. A virtual reality system that can offer these three elements provides the means to transform not only the user's sensation of space and reality, but even the users themselves. The question this paper seeks to answer is whether audiovisual VR content can influence an individual's thoughts and feelings about otherness, thereby eliciting prosocial behaviors rooted in a sense of social justice, equality and fairness. To this end, it presents a systematic literature review in accordance with the guidelines of the PRISMA statement, applying a self-deductive coding system based on the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model. The review identifies trends in research on the prosocial potential of VR content, among which perspective taking stands out as one of the most common strategies. In addition, predictors, moderators, mediators, effects, and their correlations are identified in the research reviewed

Because I am Not Here, Selected Second Life-Based Art Case Studies. Subjectivity, Autoempathy and Virtual World Aesthetics

Second Life is a virtual world accessible through the Internet in which users create objects and spaces, and interact socially through 3D avatars. Certain artists use the platform as a medium for art creation, using the aesthetic, spatial, temporal and technological features of SL as raw material. Code and scripts applied to animate and manipulate objects, avatars and spaces are important in this sense. These artists, their avatars and artwork in SL are at the centre of my research questions: what does virtual existence mean and what is its purpose when stemming from aesthetic exchange in SL? Through a qualitative research method mixing distribute aesthetics, digital art and media theories, the goal is to examine aesthetic exchange in the virtual: subjectivity and identity and their possible shifting patterns as reflected in avatar-artists. A theoretical and methodological emphasis from a media studies perspective is applied to digital media and networks, contributing to the reshaping of our epistemologies of these media, in contrast to the traditional emphasis on communicational aspects. Four case studies, discourse and text analysis, as well as interviews in-world and via email, plus observation while immersed in SL, are used in the collection of data, experiences, objects and narratives from avatars Eva and Franco Mattes, Gazira Babeli, Bryn Oh and China Tracy. The findings confirm the role that aesthetic exchange in virtual worlds has in the rearrangement of ideas and epistemologies on the virtual and networked self. This is reflected by the fact that the artists examined—whether in SL or AL—create and embody avatars from a liminal (ambiguous) modality of identity, subjectivity and interaction. Mythopoeia (narrative creation) and experiencing oneself as ‘another’ through multiplied identity and subjectivity are the outcomes of code performance and machinima (films created in-world). They constitute a modus operandi (syntax) in which episteme, techne and embodiment work in symbiosis with those of the machine, affected by the synthetic nature of code and liminality in SL. The combined perspective from media studies and distribute aesthetics proves to be an effective method for studying these subjects, contributing to the discussion of contemporary virtual worlds and art theories

Immersive virtual reality and education: a study into the effectiveness of using this technology with preservice teachers.

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) is a rapidly advancing technology utilized across varying education fields for learning and educational applications. IVR provides the capabilities of computer simulations and embodied cognition experiences through a hands-on activity, making it a natural step to improve learning. Creating educational applications in IVR for use with students and preservice teachers could be a laborious and costly endeavor and require teacher belief in its effectiveness, so research is essential to investigate whether these applications are useful in advancing prekindergarten through Grade 12 (P-12) student learning. Research in this field is new, limited, and practically void of its use in P-12 learning environments. This inquiry expanded upon the literature on IVR technology in education and preservice teacher use of technology. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of IVR technology on preservice teachers through an experience focused on the American Civil Rights Movement, specifically on knowledge attainment, lesson planning effectiveness, and motivation for future use in their instructional practice. Participants were 21 elementary preservice teachers in a diverse metropolitan university. Results indicated participants in the IVR group significantly increased scores on a content test, reported engagement with the experience, and indicated likelihood to use IVR with their future students

Persuasive Gaming in Context

The rapid developments in new communication technologies have facilitated the popularization of digital games, which has translated into an exponential growth of the game industry in recent decades. The ubiquitous presence of digital games has resulted in an expansion of the applications of these games from mere entertainment purposes to a great variety of serious purposes. In this edited volume, we narrow the scope of attention by focusing on what game theorist Ian Bogost has called 'persuasive games', that is, gaming practices that combine the dissemination of information with attempts to engage players in particular attitudes and behaviors.This volume offers a multifaceted reflection on persuasive gaming, that is, on the process of these particular games being played by players. The purpose is to better understand when and how digital games can be used for persuasion by further exploring persuasive games and some other kinds of persuasive playful interaction as well. The book critically integrates what has been accomplished in separate research traditions to offer a multidisciplinary approach to understanding persuasive gaming that is closely linked to developments in the industry by including the exploration of relevant case studies

Promoting empathy through virtual reality experience: the case of sexual harassment

Introducción: En los últimos decenios, la realidad virtual (RV) se ha adoptado de manera exponencial en la psicología clínica para tratar varios trastornos psicológicos y promover el bienestar. La RV es una forma avanzada de interfaz humano-computadora que permite al usuario interactuar y estar presente en un entorno tridimensional de manera naturalista. El uso de la RV se ha ampliado para simular no sólo el mundo exterior, sino también la experiencia corporal, dando la ilusión de encarnar un cuerpo "virtual". Cuando esta ilusión se induce con éxito, el participante puede percibirse a sí mismo como otra persona y sentir las emociones del cuerpo encarnado. Este modelo se ha adoptado para estudiar la empatía, por ejemplo, en el contexto de la violencia sexual, para inducir un cambio en la perspectiva de los hombres, y la empatía. Objetivo: Esta tesis doctoral pretendía alcanzar tres objetivos generales: (1) revisar y meta analizar la literatura existente sobre la RV y la empatía; (2) investigar la eficacia de un sistema de RV basado en un vídeo de 360° para inducir la ilusión de intercambio corporal con (a) el mismo género, y (b) un género diferente; (3) generar un vídeo de 360° sobre el acoso sexual grabado desde la perspectiva de una mujer víctima de acoso, y comprobar si induce cambios positivos en la empatía, y disminuye las variables de actitud violenta. Método: El meta-análisis siguió el método de los Elementos de Información Preferidos para Revisiones Sistemáticas y Meta-análisis; el video de 360° fue grabado desde la perspectiva de una mujer víctima de acoso y comparado con un video no invasivo; un video de 360° fue grabado desde la perspectiva de una mujer víctima de acoso y comparado con una narrativa (diseño contrabalanceado). Principales resultados: El meta-análisis incluyó 7 artículos con un total de 335 participantes, el tamaño del efecto de la empatía fue d+ = .44 y de la toma de perspectiva fue d+=.51. El estudio de la encarnación: a) 42 participantes participaron en el estudio. El análisis mostró resultados significativos sobre el sentido de la encarnación para el mismo género: propiedad p = .003; agencia, p < .001; ubicación p = .013. b) 44 participantes masculinos participaron en el estudio. Los análisis mostraron resultados significativos para el sentido de ubicación p < .001, y de propiedad, p < .001, pero no para la agencia p = .222. Estudio sobre el acoso sexual: 44 participantes masculinos participaron en el estudio. Los resultados mostraron cambios positivos en la empatía para ambas condiciones (p < .001), además de que hubo un efecto de arrastre para el video de 360° (p = .030). Los resultados de la actitud violenta fueron significativos entre la línea de base y que los 360° (p = .007), y la narrativa (p = .006), no hubo efecto de arrastre (p = 1.00). El efecto de arrastre significativo se encontró en la variable de toma de perspectiva p = .012, que fue mayor cuando se presentó la condición de 360° antes de la narrativa. Discusión: Esta tesis doctoral demostró que la RV puede cambiar positivamente la empatía y, en particular, la RV basada en vídeo de 360° puede ser una herramienta eficaz para generar la ilusión del cuerpo y, por consiguiente, cambiar el sentido de la empatía.Introduction: In the past decades, Virtual Reality (VR) has been exponentially adopted in clinical psychology for treating several psychological disorders and promoting well-being. VR is an advanced form of human-computer interface that allows the user to interact with and be present into a 3-D environment in a naturalistic manner. The use of VR has expanded to simulate not only the external world, but also the body experience, giving the illusion to embody a “virtual” body. When this illusion is successfully induced, the participant can perceive themselves as another person and feel the emotions of the embodied body. This model has been adopted to study empathy such as in sexual violence context to induce a change in men's perspective, and empathy. Objective: This doctoral thesis aimed to achieve three general objectives: (1) to review and meta-analyze the existing literature on VR and empathy; (2) to investigate the effectiveness of a VR system based on a 360° video to induce the illusion of body swap with the (a) same gender, and (b) different gender; (3) to generate a 360° video on sexual harassment recorded from the perspective of a victim woman, and to test whether it induces positive changes in empathy, and decreases the violent attitude variables. Method: The meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis method; the 360° video was recorded from the first-person perspective and compared with a non-invasive video; a 360° video was recorded from the perspective of a woman who was a victim of harassment, and compared with a narrative (counterbalanced design). Main results: The meta-analysis included 7 articles with a total of 335 participants, the effect size of empathy was d+ = .44 and of perspective-taking was d+=.51. The embodiment study: (a) 42 participants participated in the study. The analysis showed significant results on the sense of embodiment for the same gender: ownership p = .003; agency, p < .001; location p = .013. (b) 44 male participants participated in the study. The analyses showed significant results for the sense of location p < .001, and ownership, p < .001, but not for agency p = .222. Study on sexual harassment: 44 male participants participated in the study. The results showed positive changes in empathy for both conditions (p < .001), plus there was a carry.over effect for the 360° video (p = .030). The results of the violent attitude were significant between the baseline and than the 360° (p = .007), and the narrative (p = .006), there was no carry-over effect (p = 1.00). The significant carry-over effect was found in the perspective-taking variable p = .012, which was greater when the 360° condition was presented before the narrative. Discussion: This doctoral thesis showed that VR could positively change empathy, and in particular the 360° video based-VR can be an effective tool to generate the body's illusion, and consequently changing the sense of empathy