Monkeys Too Are Freaked Out by Almost-Reality

Scientists have long been aware of the “uncanny valley” phenomenon, which describes “that disquieting feeling that occurs when viewers look at representations designed to be as human-like as possible — whether computer animations or androids — but somehow fall short.” This might explain why people loved The Incredibles but were disturbed by the too-real characters in the film version of The Polar Express. (Or perhaps The Incredibles was simply a better movie.) New research indicates that macaque monkeys display the same behavior, averting their glances and acting frightened when confronted with too close-to-real monkey images. (HT: Marginal Revolution) [%comments]