The Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University. It was founded in 2003 by Jeremy Bailenson, associate professor of communication at Stanford University. The lab conducts research for the Communication Department.
History
Its founding director was Stanford professor Jeremy Bailenson. As of April 2014, it had an advanced VR lab and setup, which was used to teach visitors and students on various topics. The company's VR software is "free to any interested organization." According to the Los Angeles Times, it is at the "forefront" of the movement" in 2015, at which point Jeremy Bailenson remained the head of the organization.
The Stanford Ocean Acidification Experience - Also called SOAE, the "experience" premiered at the Tribeca 2016 Film Festival in conjunction with the 360 video. SOAE allows users to become a scientist and interact with their environment. SOAE has been exhibited at the US Senate and the Palau National Congress.
Becoming Homeless: A Human Experience - Premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, it was originally developed for the lab's "Empathy At Scale" research project.
Coral Compass: Fighting Climate Change in Palau - world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. Viewers travel to Palau, looking at how the country is working with scientists to adapt to climate change.
Research
Current
Digital anonymity - in 2010, the group was studying how digital media users who anonymize themselves via their avatars may be perceived differently from media users who use avatars that resemble their physical world selves.
Mediators and mimicry - researching how online dispute resolution may help mediators strike a delicate balance between developing rapport and maintaining impartiality.
Augmented perspective taking - researching how immersion and interactivity can enhance the ability to understand other minds and how the virtual experience can influence our attitudes and behaviors.
Self-endorsing - researches how using the self as the source of persuasive messages can influence attitudes and behaviors in various persuasive contexts.
Automatic facial feature detection and analyses - this methodology uses just a small webcam and computer software to predict an individual's errors and performance quality based only on facial features that are tracked and logged automatically.
Facial Identity Capture and Presidential Candidate Preference - it was found that by morphing a subject's face in a 40:60 ratio with that of John Kerry and George W. Bush, the subject was more likely to prefer the candidate that shared their features. This study has implications concerning the use of a voter's image and overall face morphing during national elections to sway a voter's decision.
