Grant links animation and psychology

20 March 2008

BU is awarded major funding to support groundbreaking research linking animation and psychology.

BU’s computer animation experts have been awarded a prestigious grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to support a three-year project linking animation to psychology.

Professor Jian Zhang from the BU-based National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) will receive £290,000 to support the pioneering project. It involves psychology experts from University College London (UCL) and the University of Lancaster, as well as the Metropolitan Police.

The experiment will test how people respond to extreme social situations, particularly the ‘bystander effect’. It is believed that the more witnesses there are to an emergency, the less likely an individual is to intervene in the event that is unfolding.

The phenomenon was first identified after the murder of Kitty Genovese in New York in 1964, which was witnessed by 38 people – none of whom stepped in.

Scientists have previously been unable to study the bystander effect, even under controlled conditions. However, the high levels of advanced technology, experience and knowledge of the NCCA means that the animated ‘humans’ in the virtual environment that Professor Zhang and his colleagues will create will give scientists more insight into the phenomenon than ever before.

“We want to dramatically improve the quality of immersive social virtual environments,” said Professor Zhang. “We also want to contribute to the growing body of research that uses virtual environments as a laboratory for social psychological research.”

“Other studies have already shown that real people tend to respond realistically in virtual social situations,” Professor Zhang continued. “As our real participants take part in the study within the virtual environments we’ll be creating, we will measure their physiological, behavioural, cognitive and emotional responses to that environment.

“These responses will help us to learn even more about the bystander effect and should provide further insight into many other psychological phenomenon.”

Professor Zhang also hopes that the techniques developed through the project may have applications in 3D computer games.

Rated by ‘3D World’ magazine as number one in the UK (and number eight in the world) for computer animation, the NCCA enjoys a global reputation. Many of the Centre’s graduates now work on major projects including Hollywood films and television series, as well as medical research and other scientific applications.

In recent months, the Centre has engaged in a major project to create a digital version of the Beijing National Opera.

Bournemouth?s bid to animate the Beijing National Opera