High-fidelity avatars for behavior and cognition research in virtual environments: An accessible construction method for scientists

Virtual reality is increasingly employed in behavioral research, providing immersive environments that combine high levels of experimental control with ecological validity. Within virtual reality, humans are represented by digital characters - or avatars - whose realism and behavioral fidelity are crucial for studying social cognition. This study introduces an accessible method for constructing avatars with facial animations of eye gaze and expression that can be used by behavioral scientists. In two pre-registered experiments, we validate the use of these avatars for psychological research. In Experiment 1, we demonstrate that observers orient attention in response to avatar eye gaze, replicating the classic gaze-cueing effect. In Experiment 2, we show that participants can recognize avatar facial expressions with accuracy and confusion patterns comparable to those reported for human faces. These findings establish our construction pipeline as a user-friendly approach for generating high-fidelity avatars, equipping researchers with tools to investigate social and cognitive processes in controlled yet ecologically valid virtual environments. We provide access to an extensive manual for constructing avatars, along with a video example demonstrating the procedure step-by-step. Using a relatively inexpensive hand-held scanner, this enables behavioral scientists to create avatars with accurate facial animation for experiments in virtual environments.