Does the uncanny valley exist? An empirical test of the relationship between eeriness and the human likeness of digitally created faces
Source record
burleigh-2013-does-uv-exist· 2013 · Computers in Human Behavior
Evidence tier: B (peer-reviewed-journal) · Verification: verified-doi (compiler confidence: medium)
Bottom line: Eeriness was mostly a linear function of human likeness; non-linear effects appeared only when stimuli combined conflicting or atypical features.
Citation
Tyler J. Burleigh, Jordan R. Schoenherr, Guy L. Lacroix (2013). Does the uncanny valley exist? An empirical test of the relationship between eeriness and the human likeness of digitally created faces. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 759-771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.11.021
Verification entry (identifiers, resolvers, claims with source locations): /data/citations.json#burleigh-2013-does-uv-exist
Study design
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Design | Two studies varying human likeness of computer-generated faces; eeriness ratings |
| Modality | cg-face |
| Stimuli | Digitally created faces |
| Participants (N) | not recorded |
| N detail | modest (not recorded) |
| Topics | uncanny-valley, valley-shape |
Results
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Eeriness vs human likeness | mostly linear | no valley along a single axis |
| Conflicting/atypical features | non-linear effects |
Mechanism relevance
atypicality, perceptual-mismatch
Limitations
- CG stimuli only
Cited in
- MR-0002: The Uncanny Valley and Synthetic Media: Does It Exist, What Causes It, and Have Deepfakes Crossed It?
Verification
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Status | verified-doi |
| Compiler confidence | medium |
| Checked on | 2026-10-07 |
| Via | Semantic Scholar metadata (title, authors, venue, DOI); abstract not available |
Values on this page have not all been checked against the full text. Confirm them against the primary source before high-stakes use.