Exploring and Analyzing the Effect of Avatar's Visual Style on Anxiety of English as Second Language (ESL) Speakers
arXiv:2311.05126v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: Virtual avatars offer new opportunities to reshape communication experiences beyond traditional live video. However, it remains unclear how avatar representations influence communication anxiety for English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers, and why such effects emerge. To take a first step to address this, we conducted a controlled laboratory study in which Mandarin-speaking ESL participants engaged in one-on-one conversations under three representation conditions: live video, stylized avatars, and realistic avatars. We assessed anxiety using both self-reported measures and physiological signals (EDA, ECG, PPG). Our results show that avatar style plays a critical role in shaping communication anxiety. While live video remained a strong
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Abstract:Virtual avatars offer new opportunities to reshape communication experiences beyond traditional live video. However, it remains unclear how avatar representations influence communication anxiety for English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers, and why such effects emerge. To take a first step to address this, we conducted a controlled laboratory study in which Mandarin-speaking ESL participants engaged in one-on-one conversations under three representation conditions: live video, stylized avatars, and realistic avatars. We assessed anxiety using both self-reported measures and physiological signals (EDA, ECG, PPG). Our results show that avatar style plays a critical role in shaping communication anxiety. While live video remained a strong baseline with low subjective anxiety, stylized avatars achieved comparable-and in some cases lower-physiological anxiety levels, whereas realistic avatars elicited higher anxiety. Beyond these effects, our findings reveal three underlying mechanisms that explain how avatar representations shape ESL communication anxiety: (1) facial expressiveness; (2) perceived feedback and fear of negative evaluation; and (3) contextual appropriateness. This work provides actionable design implications for developing avatar-mediated communication systems that support emotionally sustainable cross-linguistic interaction.
Comments: 10 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables
Subjects:
Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC)
Cite as: arXiv:2311.05126 [cs.HC]
(or arXiv:2311.05126v3 [cs.HC] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2311.05126
arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite
Submission history
From: Tianqi Liu [view email] [v1] Thu, 9 Nov 2023 03:43:07 UTC (6,950 KB) [v2] Fri, 30 Jan 2026 16:37:52 UTC (3,784 KB) [v3] Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:50:47 UTC (1,396 KB)
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