ИСТИНА

How far we prefer to be from others depends on many social factors including ethnicity. The aim of our study was to compare preferred interpersonal distances when interacting with avatares which appearances reflect the various ethnic groups of Russia. The virtual scenes (VS) were created representing a room with avatars differed in ethnic appearance. VS were presented using the CAVE virtual reality system. 35 observers were tested. Their task was to walk around each avatar and remember all the details of its appearance. During the execution participant’s body and eye movements were recorded. Then participants filled out questionnaires assessing their ethnic attitudes and presence effect. The results showed the compensation effects in interpersonal distances and changes in characteristics of eye movements during interaction with avatars. The gender differences of walking strategy while performing the task were also revealed. The study was funded by Russian Scientific Fund project № 15-18-00109.