Leiden University Student Repository

Dyrvold, Therese (2021)

Investigating the effects of pupil dilation mimicry on trust in socially anxious individuals by using virtual characters

Bachelor thesis | Psychologie (BSc)

Behavioral mimicry and pupil dilation have both been seen to have positive effects on liking and trust between people in social interactions. For people with social anxiety, however, this effect may be impaired due to their self-focused attention and fear of other’s judgments. We investigate the effects of pupil dilation mimicry on evaluation of and trust in virtual avatars in high and low socially anxious individuals. Participants interacted with six avatars who each told a story, during which the avatar’s pupil size was manipulated to dilate randomly or to mimic the participant’s pupil dilations. After each story, the participants answered questionnaires regarding liking and played an investment game to measure trust. Contrary to our predictions, the results yielded no between-group differences in the evaluation of- or trust in the avatars. The implications of this and the limitations to our study are discussed, and we offer recommendations for future research.

behavioral mimicry

pupil dilation

social anxiety

virtual reality

trust

investment game

Author

Dyrvold, Therese

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Cognitive Psychology

Supervisors

Fasya, E.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en