Touching Virtual Humans: Haptic Responses Reveal the Emotional Impact of Affective Agents

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Standard

Touching Virtual Humans : Haptic Responses Reveal the Emotional Impact of Affective Agents. / Ahmed, Imtiaj; Harjunen, Ville J.; Jacucci, Giulio; Ravaja, Niklas; Ruotsalo, Tuukka; Spape, Michiel.

In: IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, Vol. 14, No. 1, 2023, p. 331-342.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Ahmed, I, Harjunen, VJ, Jacucci, G, Ravaja, N, Ruotsalo, T & Spape, M 2023, 'Touching Virtual Humans: Haptic Responses Reveal the Emotional Impact of Affective Agents', IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 331-342. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2020.3038137

APA

Ahmed, I., Harjunen, V. J., Jacucci, G., Ravaja, N., Ruotsalo, T., & Spape, M. (2023). Touching Virtual Humans: Haptic Responses Reveal the Emotional Impact of Affective Agents. IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, 14(1), 331-342. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2020.3038137

Vancouver

Ahmed I, Harjunen VJ, Jacucci G, Ravaja N, Ruotsalo T, Spape M. Touching Virtual Humans: Haptic Responses Reveal the Emotional Impact of Affective Agents. IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing. 2023;14(1):331-342. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2020.3038137

Author

Ahmed, Imtiaj ; Harjunen, Ville J. ; Jacucci, Giulio ; Ravaja, Niklas ; Ruotsalo, Tuukka ; Spape, Michiel. / Touching Virtual Humans : Haptic Responses Reveal the Emotional Impact of Affective Agents. In: IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing. 2023 ; Vol. 14, No. 1. pp. 331-342.

Bibtex

@article{e9a84513cc944bf494c4651bba044b23,
title = "Touching Virtual Humans: Haptic Responses Reveal the Emotional Impact of Affective Agents",
abstract = "Interpersonal touch is critical for social-emotional development and presents a powerful modality for communicating emotions. Virtual agents of the future could capitalize on touch to establish social bonds with humans and facilitate cooperation in virtual reality (VR). We studied whether the emotional expression of a virtual agent would affect the way humans touch the agent. Participants were asked to hold a pressure-sensing tube presented as the agent's arm in VR. Upon seeing the agent's emotional expression change, participants briefly squeezed the arm. The effect of emotional expressions on affective state was measured using self-reported valence and arousal as well as physiology-based indices. Onset, duration, and intensity of the squeeze were recorded to examine the haptic responses. Emotional expression of agents affected squeeze intensity and duration through changes in emotional perception and experience. Haptic responses may thus provide an implicit measure of persons' experience towards their virtual companion.",
author = "Imtiaj Ahmed and Harjunen, {Ville J.} and Giulio Jacucci and Niklas Ravaja and Tuukka Ruotsalo and Michiel Spape",
year = "2023",
doi = "10.1109/TAFFC.2020.3038137",
language = "English",
volume = "14",
pages = "331--342",
journal = "IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing",
issn = "1949-3045",
publisher = "IEEE Signal Processing Society",
number = "1",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Touching Virtual Humans

T2 - Haptic Responses Reveal the Emotional Impact of Affective Agents

AU - Ahmed, Imtiaj

AU - Harjunen, Ville J.

AU - Jacucci, Giulio

AU - Ravaja, Niklas

AU - Ruotsalo, Tuukka

AU - Spape, Michiel

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Interpersonal touch is critical for social-emotional development and presents a powerful modality for communicating emotions. Virtual agents of the future could capitalize on touch to establish social bonds with humans and facilitate cooperation in virtual reality (VR). We studied whether the emotional expression of a virtual agent would affect the way humans touch the agent. Participants were asked to hold a pressure-sensing tube presented as the agent's arm in VR. Upon seeing the agent's emotional expression change, participants briefly squeezed the arm. The effect of emotional expressions on affective state was measured using self-reported valence and arousal as well as physiology-based indices. Onset, duration, and intensity of the squeeze were recorded to examine the haptic responses. Emotional expression of agents affected squeeze intensity and duration through changes in emotional perception and experience. Haptic responses may thus provide an implicit measure of persons' experience towards their virtual companion.

AB - Interpersonal touch is critical for social-emotional development and presents a powerful modality for communicating emotions. Virtual agents of the future could capitalize on touch to establish social bonds with humans and facilitate cooperation in virtual reality (VR). We studied whether the emotional expression of a virtual agent would affect the way humans touch the agent. Participants were asked to hold a pressure-sensing tube presented as the agent's arm in VR. Upon seeing the agent's emotional expression change, participants briefly squeezed the arm. The effect of emotional expressions on affective state was measured using self-reported valence and arousal as well as physiology-based indices. Onset, duration, and intensity of the squeeze were recorded to examine the haptic responses. Emotional expression of agents affected squeeze intensity and duration through changes in emotional perception and experience. Haptic responses may thus provide an implicit measure of persons' experience towards their virtual companion.

U2 - 10.1109/TAFFC.2020.3038137

DO - 10.1109/TAFFC.2020.3038137

M3 - Journal article

VL - 14

SP - 331

EP - 342

JO - IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing

JF - IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing

SN - 1949-3045

IS - 1

ER -

ID: 255115212