Investigating the attentional consequences of the uncanny valley

The “uncanny valley” was hypothesed by roboticist Mori in 1970, whereby people would like robots of increasingly human-likeness until they were close to, but not fully human. This project focuses on the uncanny response to artificial hands; people find less human-like prosthetic hands more eerie than more realistic prosthetic hands and clearly artificial mechanical hands (Poliakoff et al., 2013). This has implications for the design of prosthetic, robotic and computer graphics hands. Furthermore, hands play a significant role in social interaction; we are automatically drawn to attend to where someone is pointing. The proposed project investigates whether artificial hands also direct our attention to where they point and how this is influenced by the uncanny valley.

Study 1 will use a reaction time task to compare how people orient their attention to real hands, clearly artificial hands and artificial (prosthetic) hands. This will shed light on how we socially orient in response to artificial hands, but also provides a potential “marker” of the uncanny response. Study 2 will use electroencephalography (EEG) to measure the neurophysiological underpinnings of the attentional and uncanny effects. We will carry out EEG recordings from participants performing the attentional task. We will then compare event related potentials (ERPs) for targets that the hand pointed towards or away from. The results will tell us how our attention is influenced by real and artificial hands and at what stage of cognitive and attentional processes differences emerge. We also plan to look at how these processes are affected in autistic adults, who may respond differently to social cues. Understanding the social-attentional implications of the uncanny phenomenon is timely because of the relevance to the design of prosthetic, robotic and computer-generated hands. Moreover, the project also addresses important fundamental questions about how we respond to human and artificial bodies.

Entry Requirements

Candidates are expected to hold (or be about to obtain) a minimum upper second class honours degree (or equivalent) in a related area/subject. Candidates with previous laboratory experience, particularly in cell culture and molecular biology, are particularly encouraged to apply.

How To Apply

For information on how to apply for this project, please visit the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Doctoral Academy website (https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/apply/). Informal enquiries may be made directly to the primary supervisor. On the online application form select PhD Genetics

For international students, we also offer a unique 4 year PhD programme that gives you the opportunity to undertake an accredited Teaching Certificate whilst carrying out an independent research project across a range of biological, medical and health sciences.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. The full Equality, diversity and inclusion statement can be found on the website https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/apply/equality-diversity-inclusion/”

For international students we also offer a unique 4 year PhD programme that gives you the opportunity to undertake an accredited Teaching Certificate whilst carrying out an independent research project across a range of biological, medical and health sciences. For more information please visit www.internationalphd.manchester.ac.uk