Definitionen av ”Creepiness” och dess applikation inom animation

Sammanfattning

Creepiness is an unpleasant emotional response but lacks a consistent definition due to lack of substantial academic research. This thesis investigates how creepiness can be conceptualized and applied in character animation and design. Prior research on creepiness and adjacent fields are reviewed to identify definitions and traits associated with creepiness. A mixed-method study is conducted using a quantitative online survey (n = 81) where respondents rate creepy traits, followed by semi-structured interviews with sixteen participants to gain qualitative insights. The results indicate that creepiness emerges from unpredictability and ambiguity in scenarios involving potential threats rather than explicit danger. Traits related to boundary violations, invasive behavior, and irregular movement were consistently rated as most unsettling or consistently creepy. The findings support theories that creepiness functions as a response to the failure of threat assessment, and provides insights for character animators by identifying behavioral and contextual traits that evoke creepiness in animated characters.