Research by Fauville and colleagues in the virtual world is likely relevant in real life also. The investigators evaluated “the impact of three nonverbal cues displayed through video conference screenshots (i.e., gaze direction, distance between the face and the camera, camera angle) on impression formation. . . . Findings showed significant effects of gaze and camera angle on impression formation, with gaze [at the] camera positively associated with likeability, social presence and interpersonal attraction, and with high camera angles increased interpersonal attraction and decreased threat perceptions compared to low angles. . . . faces closer to the camera and maintaining direct gaze were rated as more socially present and threatening than the other three conditions. . . . High-camera angle refers to a shot where the camera is placed higher than the subject and thus looks down on them. Low-camera angle refers to a shot where the camera is positioned lower than the subject and thus looks up on the subject.”
Geraldine Fauville, Anna Queiroz, Mufan Luo, Jeffrey Hancock, and Jeremy Bailenson. 2022. “Impression Formation From Video Conference Screenshots: The Role of Gaze, Camera Distance, and Angle.” Technology, Mind, and Behavior, vol. 3, no. 1, DOI: 10.1037/tmb0000055
Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.