2004/08/01 by Jeremy N. Bailenson, Andrew C. Beall, Jack M. Loomis +2 · 1 citation
Computer Science · Psychology · Arts and Humanities · Engineering · #Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts #Action Observation and Synchronization #Media Influence and Health #Nonverbal communication #Decoupling (probability) #Human–computer interaction #Perception #Computer science #Social relation #Virtual machine #Psychology #Virtual reality #Representation (politics) #Collaborative virtual environment #Cognitive psychology #Multimedia #Social psychology #Communication #Engineering
paper · doi:10.1162/1054746041944803
openalex publication_date 2004/08/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Computer-mediated communication systems known as collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) allow geographically separated individuals to interact verbally and nonverbally in a shared virtual space in real time. We discuss a CVE-based research paradigm that transforms (i.e., filters and modifies) nonverbal behaviors during social interaction. Because the technology underlying CVEs allows a strategic decoupling of rendered behavior from the actual behavior of the interactants, conceptual and perceptual constraints inherent in face-to-face interaction need not apply. Decoupling algorithms can enhance or degrade facets of nonverbal behavior within CVEs, such that interactants can reap the benefits of nonverbal enhancement or suffer nonverbal degradation. Concepts underlying transformed social interaction (TSI), the ethics and implications of such a research paradigm, and data from a pilot study examining TSI are discussed.