Standing on a virtual stage before a room full of digital eyes may feel artificial, but new research from the Department of Communication shows the body responds as if the experience is real.

In a recently published study in Scientific Reports, part of the Nature Portfolio, researchers examined how audience feedback in immersive virtual reality affects public speakers’ biological and behavioral responses. The project was led by Ralf Schmälzle and Gary Bente, professors in the Department of Communication and researchers in MSU’s Center for Avatar Research and Immersive Social Media Applications, in collaboration with Sue Lim of Purdue University. The study was supported by the National Science Foundation.

Using immersive virtual reality, the team measured speakers’ physiological reactions, emotional response and communication behaviors in real time. Participants delivered speeches in front of digital audiences composed of avatars programmed to display either supportive or unsupportive feedback.