Venturing into the uncanny valley of mind—The influence of mind attribution on the acceptance of human-like characters in a virtual reality setting
Source record
stein-ohler-2017-uncanny-mind· 2017 · Cognition
Evidence tier: B (peer-reviewed-journal) · Verification: unverified (compiler confidence: high)
Bottom line: With visuals held constant, eeriness was highest when empathic behaviour was attributed to an autonomous AI—an 'uncanny valley of mind'.
Citation
Jan-Philipp Stein, Peter Ohler (2017). Venturing into the uncanny valley of mind—The influence of mind attribution on the acceptance of human-like characters in a virtual reality setting. Cognition, 160, 43-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2016.12.010
Verification entry (identifiers, resolvers, claims with source locations): /data/citations.json#stein-ohler-2017-uncanny-mind
Study design
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Design | 2×2 between-subjects VR study: identical characters having an empathic conversation, framed as human- vs AI-controlled and scripted vs autonomous |
| Modality | vr-avatar |
| Stimuli | Identical VR characters; framing manipulated |
| Participants (N) | 92 |
| Topics | uncanny-valley, mind-perception |
Results
| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Eeriness peak condition | autonomous AI + empathic behaviour | appearance held constant |
Mechanism relevance
mind-perception
Limitations
- Single scenario
- Moderate N
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 | unverified |
| Compiler confidence | high |
| Checked on | — |
| Via | compiler knowledge |
Values on this page have not all been checked against the full text. Confirm them against the primary source before high-stakes use.