---
type: source
id: weisman-pena-2021-doppelganger
title: 'Face the uncanny: The effects of doppelganger talking head avatars on affect-based trust toward artificial intelligence technology are mediated by uncanny valley perceptions'
authors:
- William D. Weisman
- Jorge F. Peña
year: 2021
venue: Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
volume: 24(3)
pages: 182-187
doi: null
peer_review: peer-reviewed-journal
evidence_tier: B
design: Experiment with self-resembling deepfake talking-head avatars; uncanniness and affect-based trust measures
modality:
- video
stimuli: Participant-doppelganger deepfake talking heads
n_participants: null
n_note: not recorded
topics:
- uncanny-valley
- deepfake-video
- trust
summary: Self-resembling deepfake avatars increased uncanniness, which in turn reduced affect-based trust.
results:
- metric: Doppelganger → uncanniness
  value: increase
  note: ''
  source_location: null
- metric: Uncanniness → affect-based trust
  value: decrease (mediation)
  note: ''
  source_location: null
moderators: []
limitations:
- Details pending verification
- 2020-era deepfake quality
mechanism_supported:
- uncanny-to-trust
verification:
  status: unverified
  confidence: medium
  checked: null
  via: compiler knowledge; DOI unknown
url: null
pmid: null
pmcid: null
arxiv_id: null
openalex_id: null
oa_url: null
cited_in:
- MR-0002
updated: '2026-10-07'
---

# Face the uncanny: The effects of doppelganger talking head avatars on affect-based trust toward artificial intelligence technology are mediated by uncanny valley perceptions

> **Source record** `weisman-pena-2021-doppelganger` · 2021 · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking  
> **Evidence tier:** B (peer-reviewed-journal) · **Verification:** unverified (compiler confidence: medium)  
> **Bottom line:** Self-resembling deepfake avatars increased uncanniness, which in turn reduced affect-based trust.

## Citation {#citation}

William D. Weisman, Jorge F. Peña (2021). Face the uncanny: The effects of doppelganger talking head avatars on affect-based trust toward artificial intelligence technology are mediated by uncanny valley perceptions. *Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking*, 24(3), 182-187.

Verification entry (identifiers, resolvers, claims with source locations): [/data/citations.json#weisman-pena-2021-doppelganger](/data/citations.json#weisman-pena-2021-doppelganger)

## Study design {#design}

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Design | Experiment with self-resembling deepfake talking-head avatars; uncanniness and affect-based trust measures |
| Modality | video |
| Stimuli | Participant-doppelganger deepfake talking heads |
| Participants (N) | not recorded |
| N detail | not recorded |
| Topics | uncanny-valley, deepfake-video, trust |

## Results {#results}

| Metric | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Doppelganger → uncanniness | increase |  |
| Uncanniness → affect-based trust | decrease (mediation) |  |

## Mechanism relevance {#mechanism}

`uncanny-to-trust`

## Limitations {#limitations}

- Details pending verification
- 2020-era deepfake quality

## 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 | `unverified` |
| Compiler confidence | medium |
| Checked on | — |
| Via | compiler knowledge; DOI unknown |

Values on this page have not all been checked against the full text. Confirm them against the primary source before high-stakes use.