Virtual pedagogical agents: Naturalism vs. stylization

In discussions on naturalism vs. stylization in the design of virtual pedagogical agents (VPAs), the smooth communication argument is one of the most central in favour of visual naturalism. Yet, this argument dissolves if we separate design into the levels of: (l) linguistic performance, where the support for naturalism is strong; (2) dynamic visual appearance, in the sense of bodily behaviour, with increasing design freedom still matching positive user responses; and (3) static visual appearance, as the under lying, inanimate, visual model, with naturalism a well defined state, but stylization spanning a complex, multidimensional design space. A comparison with cartoons and animated movies here suggest a potential for stylized designs