Are Virtual Embodiments Perceived Distinctly From Sources? The Bifurcation of Visual and Verbal Processing During Viewer Evaluation of Online Messages.

• In Event: Attention, Cognition, and Embodiment

Abstract

There is some debate about how people process information online, particularly when it is associated with a virtual embodiment. This study utilized a 2 (advocate sex) X 2 (advocate image credibility) experimental design to examine the relative influence of the visual characteristics of the advocate associated with a persuasive message about illegal music downloading. The process model is tested with causal modeling techniques. The results are consistent with predictions showing that people process visual characteristics of images first and that this influences subsequently processed information such as associated text. Specifically, image characteristics influence attributions of anthropomorphism and sender credibility, which drive processing of subsequently processed information. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Authors

• Kristine L. Nowak, University of Connecticut

• Mark A. Hamilton, U of Connecticut

• Kyle Steven Hull, U of Connecticut

• Saraswathi Bellur, U of Connecticut