2025/05/08 by Bozana Meinhardt‐Injac, Isabelle Boutet, Laurence Chaby +2 · 1 voice
Neuroscience · Psychology · #Emotion and Mood Recognition #Face Recognition and Perception #Social Robot Interaction and HRI
paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0323182
openalex publication_date 2025/05/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
OBJECTIVE: Accurately interpreting emotional states from facial expressions is crucial for effective social interactions. This study investigates age-related differences in interpersonal distance (IPD) regulation and emotion recognition using a virtual reality (VR) environment. We examined how younger and older adults adjust their IPD in response to emotional expressions from virtual agents. METHODS: Eighty participants, divided into older adults (OA) and younger adults (YA), took part in the study. Participants were immersed in a VR setup where they engaged in social interactions with happy or angry looking virtual agents. This behavioral task was complemented by a standardized emotion recognition task (ERT). RESULTS: Results showed that both YA and OA preferred larger distances from angry-looking virtual agents compared to happy ones. No significant differences in IPD were found between the age groups. However, older adults were less accurate in recognizing facial expressions. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that older adults can effectively regulate their social distance despite potential challenges in emotion recognition. The study underscores the importance of considering cognitive, perceptual, and motivational factors when examining the dynamics of emotional recognition and interpersonal distance in social contexts.