---
type: source
id: katsyri-2015-uv-review
title: 'A review of empirical evidence on different uncanny valley hypotheses: support for perceptual mismatch as one road to the valley of eeriness'
authors:
- Jari Kätsyri
- Klaus Förger
- Meeri Mäkäräinen
- Tapio Takala
year: 2015
venue: Frontiers in Psychology
volume: '6'
pages: '390'
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00390
peer_review: peer-reviewed-journal
evidence_tier: C
design: Narrative review of empirical tests of uncanny valley hypotheses
modality:
- review
stimuli: n/a
n_participants: null
n_note: review
topics:
- uncanny-valley
- mechanisms
- review
summary: The simplest valley hypothesis and the movement claim lacked consistent support; categorization ambiguity had too little research to judge; perceptual mismatch received good support; the valley appears only under specific conditions.
results:
- metric: Simple human-likeness valley
  value: no consistent support
  note: ''
  source_location: abstract
- metric: Movement modulates valley
  value: no consistent support
  note: ''
  source_location: abstract
- metric: Categorization ambiguity
  value: insufficient research
  note: ''
  source_location: abstract
- metric: Perceptual mismatch
  value: good support
  note: ''
  source_location: abstract
moderators: []
limitations:
- Narrative, not quantitative
mechanism_supported:
- perceptual-mismatch
verification:
  status: verified-abstract
  confidence: high
  checked: 2026-10-07
  via: Semantic Scholar API abstract
url: null
pmid: null
pmcid: null
arxiv_id: null
openalex_id: null
oa_url: null
cited_in:
- MR-0002
updated: '2026-10-07'
---

# A review of empirical evidence on different uncanny valley hypotheses: support for perceptual mismatch as one road to the valley of eeriness

> **Source record** `katsyri-2015-uv-review` · 2015 · Frontiers in Psychology  
> **Evidence tier:** C (peer-reviewed-journal) · **Verification:** verified-abstract (compiler confidence: high)  
> **Bottom line:** The simplest valley hypothesis and the movement claim lacked consistent support; categorization ambiguity had too little research to judge; perceptual mismatch received good support; the valley appears only under specific conditions.

## Citation {#citation}

Jari Kätsyri, Klaus Förger, Meeri Mäkäräinen, Tapio Takala (2015). A review of empirical evidence on different uncanny valley hypotheses: support for perceptual mismatch as one road to the valley of eeriness. *Frontiers in Psychology*, 6, 390. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00390

Verification entry (identifiers, resolvers, claims with source locations): [/data/citations.json#katsyri-2015-uv-review](/data/citations.json#katsyri-2015-uv-review)

## Study design {#design}

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Design | Narrative review of empirical tests of uncanny valley hypotheses |
| Modality | review |
| Stimuli | n/a |
| Participants (N) | not recorded |
| N detail | review |
| Topics | uncanny-valley, mechanisms, review |

## Results {#results}

| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Simple human-likeness valley | no consistent support |  |
| Movement modulates valley | no consistent support |  |
| Categorization ambiguity | insufficient research |  |
| Perceptual mismatch | good support |  |

## Mechanism relevance {#mechanism}

`perceptual-mismatch`

## Limitations {#limitations}

- Narrative, not quantitative

## Cited in {#cited-in}

- [MR-0002](/metareports/uncanny-valley-and-synthetic-faces.md): The Uncanny Valley and Synthetic Media: Does It Exist, What Causes It, and Have Deepfakes Crossed It?

## Verification {#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.