Gender Congruence and Social Context in XR: Effects on Partner Preference, Warmth, Competence, and Uncanniness

초록

As immersive virtual environments become more prevalent, avatars serve as critical social interfaces. This study explores how combinations of visual appearance, vocal characteristics, and informed identity influence users' initial impressions and partner preferences in four distinct XR scenarios: physical, intellectual, social, and romantic. A within-subject experiment with 40 participants assessed perceived warmth, competence, uncanniness, and selection preferences across diverse avatar configurations. Results indicate that vocal cues had a particularly strong impact on social perception, often shaping feelings of approachability and clarity in communication. While some cue alignments enhanced perceived social comfort and engagement, inconsistencies across gender-related cues occasionally led to increased perceptions of uncanniness, especially in emotionally sensitive contexts. These findings highlight the importance of designing avatars that thoughtfully adapt to different interaction contexts, supporting inclusive and responsive user experiences in social XR platforms.