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It’s a Long Way to Neutrality. An Evaluation of Gendered Artificial Faces

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Design, User Experience, and Usability (HCII 2023)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 14033))

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Abstract

Implementing gender-neutral virtual agents seems to be one possible solution to the problem of designing technologies which do not represent and convey gender stereotypes. Three tests were structured with the intention of selecting faces of male, female, or neutral gender hypothetical virtual agents. In each of these tests 30 participants assessed the gender and age of 9 hypothetical virtual agent faces by means of an online questionnaire. From the results of these tests, 3 faces were selected, one male, one female and one neutral, which were assessed through an online questionnaire (N  =  83) with reference to some feminine or masculine characteristics of their personality. The willingness/pleasure to interact with artificial agents having those faces was also assessed. The results highlighted the difficulty in synthesizing faces that are perceived as absolutely neutral. Evaluations of the stimulus characterized by greater gender neutrality were less likely to refer to a female stereotype. The stimulus representing a gender-neutral face resulted also less accepted and liked than the male stimulus in all aspects considered and, in fewer aspects, than the female stimulus as well.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Oronzo Parlangeli, Paola Palmitesta, Leonardo Masi & Stefano Guidi

  2. Quest-It, Siena, Italy

    Michele Tittarelli

Authors
  1. Oronzo Parlangeli
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  2. Paola Palmitesta
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  3. Leonardo Masi
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  4. Michele Tittarelli
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  5. Stefano Guidi
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Correspondence to Oronzo Parlangeli .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Aaron Marcus and Associates, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Aaron Marcus

  2. World Usability Day and Bubble Mountain Consulting, Newton Center, MA, USA

    Elizabeth Rosenzweig

  3. Southern University of Science and Technology – SUSTech, Shenzhen, China

    Marcelo M. Soares

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Parlangeli, O., Palmitesta, P., Masi, L., Tittarelli, M., Guidi, S. (2023). It’s a Long Way to Neutrality. An Evaluation of Gendered Artificial Faces. In: Marcus, A., Rosenzweig, E., Soares, M.M. (eds) Design, User Experience, and Usability. HCII 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14033. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35708-4_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35708-4_27

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-35708-4

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