More than face-to-face: empathy effects of video framing

Video conferencing attempts to convey subtle cues of face-to-face interaction (F2F), but it is generally believed to be less effective than F2F. We argue that careful design based on an understanding of non-verbal communication can mitigate these differences. In this paper, we study the effects of video image framing in one-on-one meetings on empathy formation. We alter the video image by framing the display such that, in one condition, only the head is visible while, in the other condition, the entire upper body is visible. We include a F2F control case. We used two measures of dyad empathy and found a significant difference between head-only framing and both upper-body framing and F2F, but no significant difference between upper-body framing and F2F. Based on these and earlier results, we present some design heuristics for video conferencing systems. We revisit earlier negative experimental results on video systems in the light of these new experiments. We conclude that for systems that preserve both gaze and upper-body cues, there is no evidence of deficit in communication effectiveness compared to face-to-face meetings.

[1]  C. Neil Macrae,et al.  HELP, I NEED SOMEBODY: AUTOMATIC ACTION AND INACTION , 1998 .

[2]  Jon K. Maner,et al.  The Effects of Perspective Taking on Motivations for Helping: Still No Evidence for Altruism , 2002 .

[3]  Frank D. Fincham,et al.  Forgiveness in marriage: The role of relationship quality, attributions, and empathy , 2002 .

[4]  Abigail Sellen,et al.  Speech patterns in video-mediated conversations , 1992, CHI.

[5]  S. Baron-Cohen,et al.  The Empathy Quotient: An Investigation of Adults with Asperger Syndrome or High Functioning Autism, and Normal Sex Differences , 2004, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[6]  P. Good.  Permutation, Parametric, and Bootstrap Tests of Hypotheses (Springer Series in Statistics) , 1994 .

[7]  Richard Gonzalez,et al.  Correlational analysis of dyad-level data in the exchangeable case. , 1995 .

[8]  Darren Gergle,et al.  Effects of four computer-mediated communications channels on trust development , 2002, CHI.

[9]  A. W. Siegman,et al.  Nonverbal behavior and communication , 1979 .

[10]  Jeremy N. Bailenson,et al.  A Longitudinal Study of Task Performance, Head Movements, Subjective Report, Simulator Sickness, and Transformed Social Interaction in Collaborative Virtual Environments , 2006, PRESENCE: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments.

[11]  Nicolas Guéguen,et al.  Mimicry and Propagation of Prosocial Behavior in a Natural Setting , 2011, Psychological reports.

[12]  M. Goulding,et al.  Erratum: Lbx1 and Tlx3 are opposing switches in determining GABAergic versus glutamatergic transmitter phenotypes , 2005, Nature Neuroscience.

[13]  John F. Canny,et al.  MultiView: spatially faithful group video conferencing , 2005, CHI.

[14]  Roel Vertegaal,et al.  Effects of Gaze on Multiparty Mediated Communication , 2000, Graphics Interface.

[15]  Milton Chen,et al.  Leveraging the asymmetric sensitivity of eye contact for videoconference , 2002, CHI.

[16]  C. Rogers.  The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. , 1992, Psychotherapy.

[17]  P. Good.  Permutation, Parametric, and Bootstrap Tests of Hypotheses , 2005 .

[18]  K. A. Finlay,et al.  The role of empathy in improving intergroup relations. , 1999 .

[19]  John F. Canny,et al.  Multiview: improving trust in group video conferencing through spatial faithfulness , 2007, CHI.

[20]  J. Burgoon,et al.  Nonverbal Communication: The Unspoken Dialogue , 1988 .

[21]  N. Eisenberg,et al.  The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behaviors. , 1987, Psychological bulletin.

[22]  P. Ekman.  Telling lies: clues to deceit in the marketplace , 1985 .

[23]  Kentaro Toyama,et al.  Gaze Awareness for Video-Conferencing: A Software Approach , 2000, IEEE Multim..

[24]  Yutaka Matsushita,et al.  MAJIC Videoconferencing System: Experiments, Evaluation and Improvement , 1995, ECSCW.

[25]  Jonathan Grudin,et al.  Integration of interpersonal space and shared workspace: ClearBoard design and experiments , 1993, TOIS.