Recognizing self in puppet controlled virtual avatars

Recent work in neuroscience suggests that there is a common coding in the brain between perception, imagination and execution of movement. Further, this common coding is considered to allow people to recognize their own movements sented as abstract representations, and coordinate with these movements better. We are investigating how this `own movement effect' could be extended to improve the interaction between players and game avatars, and how it might be leveraged to augment players' cognition. To examine this question, we have designed and developed a tangible puppet interface and 3D virtual environment that are tailored to investigate the mapping between player and avatar movements. In a set of two experiments, we show that when the puppet interface is used to transfer players' movements to the avatar, the players are able to recognize their own movements, when presented alongside others' movements. In both experiments, players did not observe their movements b...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: FUNGAMES
• Authors: Ali Mazalek, Michael Nitsche, Sanjay Chandrasekharan, Tim Welsh, Paul Clifton, Andrew Quitmeyer, Firaz Peer, Friedrich Kirschner
• Keywords: Common Coding, Computer Graphics, FUNGAMES 2010, Puppet Interface, Tangible Puppet Interface