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Neural Correlates of Social Cognition : Replicating the Heider and Simmel Paradigm in Virtual Reality
Verschure Mura, Luca J.M. (2025) Neural Correlates of Social Cognition : Replicating the Heider and Simmel Paradigm in Virtual Reality.
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| Abstract: | Understanding how visual representation shapes social cognition is essential to our understanding of social perception. This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine neural responses to social animations in virtual reality (VR), comparing geometric shapes and humanoid avatars adapted from the classic Heider and Simmel (1944) paradigm. In a within-subjects lab design, participants (N = 30) viewed both animation types while fNIRS recorded activation in Theory of Mind (ToM) regions: medial Pre-Frontal Cortex, Anterior Temporal Lobe, Superior Temporal Sulcus, and Temporoparietal Junction. Participants also provided narrative interpretations and confidence ratings. Both conditions elicited significant ToM-related activations compared to baseline, with the strongest effects in the Superior Temporal Sulcus (geometric: p < .001, d = 0.83; humanoid: p = .002, d = 0.77). Humanoid avatars produced 50% more coded narrative content than geometric shapes (p < .001), yet no significant neural activation differences between animation types were found across any ToM region (all p > .38), nor in confidence ratings (p = .79). Thematic analysis revealed similar interpretive patterns across conditions, suggesting motion cues alone suffice to trigger social cognitive processes. These findings clarify the neural basis of social perception in VR and highlight the narrative-enhancing, but not functionally essential, role of anthropomorphic features. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107178 |
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