Mere Exposure Effect on Uncanny Feelings toward Virtual Characters and Robots

As technology increases, so does the concern that the humanlike virtual characters and android robots being created today will fall into the uncanny valley. The current study aims to determine whether uncanny feelings from modern virtual characters and robots can be significantly affected by the mere exposure effect. Previous research shows that mere exposure can increase positive feelings toward novel stimuli (Zajonc, 1968). It is predicted that the repeated exposure to virtual characters and robots can cause a significant decrease in uncanny feelings. The current study aimed to show that modern virtual characters and robots possessing uncanny traits will be rated significantly less uncanny after being viewed multiple times.