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Virtual World a Lot Like Real World!
Techtree News Staff, Feb 22, 2007 1318 hrs ISTWould you believe social interaction in the virtual world is somewhat an extension of that in the real world?
Would you believe social interaction in the virtual world is somewhat an extension of that in the real world?
A report in Associated Press (AP) cites a study that shows at least one aspect of human behavior spilling over to the virtual realm.
The author of the study, one Nick Yee, a doctoral student at Stanford University, found that in the virtual world of Second Life, males tend to stand further away whilst talking to other males, and are also less likely to keep eye contact.
Yee found that on an average, male 'avatars' stood at least 7.7 feet apart, while male-female pairs had about 6.9 feet of distance between them. Female 'avatars' meanwhile, stood a little less than 7.7 feet apart but were more likely to maintain eye contact than their male counterparts. The measurements were done basis Second Life's virtual scale.
Yee also found avatars of all genders were more likely to look away from each other while standing close - a lot like how real people behave when crammed together.
The results of the study have been published in the latest issue of Journal Cyberpsychology & Behavior.
Yee and his team accomplished this feat by taking 'snapshots' of the environment in Second Life, collecting data on the relative distance of hundreds of avatars - how they face each other, and if at all, talk to each other, etc. Names were used to deduce genders, which excluded several androgynous avatars.
A report in Associated Press (AP) cites a study that shows at least one aspect of human behavior spilling over to the virtual realm.
The author of the study, one Nick Yee, a doctoral student at Stanford University, found that in the virtual world of Second Life, males tend to stand further away whilst talking to other males, and are also less likely to keep eye contact.
Yee found that on an average, male 'avatars' stood at least 7.7 feet apart, while male-female pairs had about 6.9 feet of distance between them. Female 'avatars' meanwhile, stood a little less than 7.7 feet apart but were more likely to maintain eye contact than their male counterparts. The measurements were done basis Second Life's virtual scale.
Yee also found avatars of all genders were more likely to look away from each other while standing close - a lot like how real people behave when crammed together.
The results of the study have been published in the latest issue of Journal Cyberpsychology & Behavior.
Yee and his team accomplished this feat by taking 'snapshots' of the environment in Second Life, collecting data on the relative distance of hundreds of avatars - how they face each other, and if at all, talk to each other, etc. Names were used to deduce genders, which excluded several androgynous avatars.
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