Using the virtual world to understand communication

Psychology research in the online virtual world of Second Life

Simon Bignell is undertaking psychology research in the online virtual world of Second Life, where users interact with each other using a customised avatar - a digital representation of themselves.

Investigating how people with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome use virtual worlds

People with these disabilities have considerable communication difficulties in social situations and with higher level language skills. They often choose to communicate in ways that allow them to slow down the process such as email, text and social networking websites.

Because they have difficulties with social interactions that require interpreting complex social cues, the simplicity and text based nature of Second Life works well for them, providing an ideal environment to interact with others and practice real world social skills.