Abstract
Though digital images and real objects are represented differently at a neural level and can evoke different behaviours, little work has directly compared the magnitude of social effects on real and digitally represented stimuli. Object-directed reaches are modified in the near space of others, while image-directed reaches are not, but the exact role of the presence versus location of the other person is unknown (Dosso and Kingstone, 2018). The present work probed the unique contribution of social presence (a passive observer) in shaping object- and image-directed reaching behaviour. In a shape-matching game, movements were performed more slowly and less efficiently when participants were observed by the experimenter, regardless of whether participants handled real objects or digital images. Our finding that social presence affects real- and image-directed reaches similarly supports the continued use of computer-generated objects to approximate human behaviour towards real objects when social effects on object-directed actions are studied.
Highlights
Similar social presence effects when reaching for real and digital objects Imagine sitting down to make an audio-only call from your computer
The set of behaviours that are sensitive to such social presence effects is diverse, ranging from relatively simple actions like quickly turning a crank [2] or making button-press responses to minimal stimuli [3,4,5] up to more complex actions like gaze behaviour directed at pictures of people in social or erotic contexts [6,7,8] or managing food intake and purchasing
We asked participants to play a shape-matching game which involved making a number of reaches to tabletop objects in a freely selected sequence. Participants performed this task in one of four arrangements, crossing the factors of object realness and social proximity. We found that their willingness to reach near to others was dependent on the nature of the reached-for object; participants delayed reaching for real but not digital objects when that reach placed their hand in close proximity to the other individual [12]
Summary
Similar social presence effects when reaching for real and digital objects Imagine sitting down to make an audio-only call from your computer. The presence of a passive observer, while a relatively minimal source of social presence, has long been known to interact with performance in a task-dependent manner: facilitating the fast and accurate completion of simple tasks while impairing performance of complex activities [1]. The set of behaviours that are sensitive to such social presence effects is diverse, ranging from relatively simple actions like quickly turning a crank [2] or making button-press responses to minimal stimuli [3,4,5] up to more complex actions like gaze behaviour directed at pictures of people in social or erotic contexts [6,7,8] or managing food intake and purchasing.
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