A Meta-analysis of the Uncanny Valley's Independent and Dependent Variables
Source record
diel-2022-uv-meta· 2022 · ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction
Evidence tier: A (peer-reviewed-journal) · Verification: verified-abstract (compiler confidence: high)
Bottom line: Across 72 studies the uncanny valley effect was large (Hedges' g = 1.01); face distortion produced the largest effect (g = 1.46), followed by distinct entities, realism rendering and morphing.
Citation
Alexander Diel, Sarah Weigelt, Karl F. MacDorman (2022). A Meta-analysis of the Uncanny Valley's Independent and Dependent Variables. ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction, 11(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1145/3470742
Verification entry (identifiers, resolvers, claims with source locations): /data/citations.json#diel-2022-uv-meta
Study design
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Design | Meta-analysis: 72 of 468 screened studies; 247 effect sizes; moderator analysis by stimulus-creation technique and measure |
| Modality | robot, cg-face, android |
| Stimuli | 10 stimulus-creation techniques; 39 affect measures; 14 indirect measures |
| Participants (N) | not recorded |
| N detail | 72 studies, 247 effect sizes; published online 2021 |
| Topics | uncanny-valley, meta-analysis, mechanisms, measurement |
Results
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Overall effect | Hedges' g = 1.01 [0.80, 1.22] | 247 effect sizes |
| Face distortion | g = 1.46 [0.69, 2.24] | largest |
| Distinct entities | g = 1.20 [1.02, 1.38] | |
| Realism render | g = 0.99 [0.62, 1.36] | |
| Morphing | g = 0.94 [0.64, 1.24] | |
| Largest-effect affect measures | threatening, likable, aesthetics, familiarity, eeriness | |
| Largest-effect indirect measures | dislike frequency, categorization RT, like frequency, avoidance, viewing duration |
Moderators
- Stimulus-creation technique; outcome measure
Mechanism relevance
atypicality, perceptual-mismatch
Limitations
- No consensus on theoretical basis or methodology (authors)
- Heterogeneous stimuli
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-abstract |
| Compiler confidence | high |
| Checked on | 2026-10-07 |
| Via | Semantic Scholar API abstract |
Values on this page have not all been checked against the full text. Confirm them against the primary source before high-stakes use.