Katrin Wolf

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Katrin Wolf is a leading researcher in human-computer interaction, with a particular focus on the psychological and perceptual effects of virtual and augmented reality. Her work bridges technology and human experience, exploring how people respond to digital representations of living beings. Wolf’s most-cited paper, "Is there an uncanny valley of virtual animals? A quantitative and qualitative investigation" (2017), with 66 citations, is a landmark study that extends the classic uncanny valley theory—originally applied to humanoid robots—to virtual animals. Through rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods, she demonstrated that viewers experience discomfort with increasingly realistic but imperfect animal avatars, revealing critical insights for VR design, animation, and ethical considerations in digital environments. This contribution has influenced fields from game development to therapeutic VR applications. Wolf’s work is characterized by its interdisciplinary approach, combining experimental psychology, computer science, and design. Her research has been widely cited, underscoring its impact on understanding user perception and acceptance of virtual beings. For students and researchers, Wolf’s studies offer a compelling framework for investigating how realism and fidelity shape emotional and cognitive responses in immersive technologies.