Who is more ‘human-like’? Exploring gender and race in perception of avatars in an online classroom

The use of avatars in online and immersive environments plays a crucial role in shaping user experience. Given the recent shift towards remote interaction using online platforms, especially in the context of higher education, it is vital to study perceptions, attitudes, and biases based on avatar characteristics. The aim of this study is to explore perception of instructors represented by avatars in terms of realism and behaviour in an online undergraduate classroom.

Using a between-group design, one of the four matched videos (Male x South Asian; Female x South Asian; Male x White; Female x White) showcasing a photorealistic avatar teaching online using a Zoom platform were shown to 327 UAE-based participants (Gender: M = 76, F = 246, Other = 5; Race: SA = 214, Other = 113). Five 2x2 ANOVA were administered on the items of subscale ‘Human-like’ from the Agent Persona questionnaire. Male avatars were perceived to have more personality and were more human-like compared to female avatars. South Asian avatars scored higher on items related to personality, natural emotions, being human-like, having natural movements, and showing emotions, compared to White avatars.

Our results show that all avatars received consistently high ratings across dimensions related to human-like qualities. However, there was greater in-group preference based on race compared to gender. While these findings are encouraging, discrepancies in ratings indicate the existence of potential biases or preferences. Another notable contribution lies in the use of South Asian avatars, which have received little attention in previous research.

Oral Presentation delivered at The European Conference on Education, Sunday, 16 July 2023