| Abstract: | 角色對故事創作上是相當重要元素之一，即使虛構想像是如超能力般的脫離現實與非科學，其魅力依舊不減吸引著你對其產生共鳴與情感。數位化時代與新媒體（new media）的轉變下，相關「虛擬角色」的現象在生活與文化、經濟等各層面，都連結著「存在」與「相信」的心理認知之意義與價值。因此，本研究是解析虛擬角色的本質為主要目的，以訊息的表達與意義兩主軸出發，導入皮爾斯（Santiago Peirce）的三位一體（triaque）符號理論為基礎。文獻探討從認識論、方法論、再到本體論的科學哲學為研究取徑，探討意義表達的過程與情感層次的階段與轉變；從而歸納出「形式意義」到「修辭意義」再到「象徵意義」三階段之「虛擬角色符號論」。透過「混和研究」法整合量化與質性的調查，量化資料分別以統計分析，質性資料以開放編碼，抽取「共同構念」繪製共識地圖（consensus map）；再相互交叉驗證得出以下結論：虛擬角色的本質是一種「虛擬人格化意識狀態」，當中包含了：「訊息的人格化」、「人格化意識化」、「人格的意識精神化」三個層次。而認知過程是符合「虛擬角色符號論」的三個階段的意義，本質上分別具有以下三個特性：1. 形式意義是「人格化訊息的人工文化符號創作」；2. 修辭意義是「角色訊息的意義交換與形式意義的認知分離，最終形成概念性的人格化意識」；3. 象徵意義是「群體性人格化意識的精神昇華，同時成為文化代表性的精神象徵」；並以「符號認知」與「語境溝通」之思考，提出的虛擬角色設計法則作為本研究之貢獻，提供相關領域的創作與研究之參考。
Characters are critical elements in story creation. Although most characters are conceived through the imagination and are, therefore, fictional— with superpowers not based on science—, they still resonate with us and speak to our emotions. The new media in the digital age has influenced the development of "virtual characters", their cultural and economic value is fundamentally a cognitive process of "existence" and "belief", which is related to the essence of cognitive meaning. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the essence and cognitive psychology of virtual characters. Based on the Charles Sanders Peirce's theory of semiotics, the focus of the study was message and signification. The literature review was centered on the process of signification and the transition and phases of emotional layers through epistemology, methodology, and ontology in the philosophy of science, concluding with three phases of the “semiotics of virtual characters,” including “formal meaning,” “rhetorical meaning,” and “symbolic meaning.” Through mixed methods research, quantitative and qualitative data were integrated. The quantitative data were analyzed statistically, and common ideas were extracted from the qualitative data through open coding to create a consensus map. After cross-validation of the results, the following conclusion was reached. The essence of virtual characters is the state of a “virtual personified consciousness,” which includes “personification of the message,” “personification of consciousness,” and the “spiritualization of consciousness.” The cognitive process corresponds to the meaning of the three stages of the semiotics of virtual (artificial) cultural sign creation of personified messages characters with the following characteristics: (1) the formal meaning is “the,” (2) the rhetorical meaning is “the cognitive dissociation between meaning exchanges of characters’ messages and formal meaning; a conceptual personified consciousness would be formed eventually,” and (3) the symbolic meaning is “the spiritual sublimation of collective personified consciousness; meanwhile becoming a symbol of cultural spirit.” Based on these characteristics, principles and methods of creating virtual characters are proposed as references for creative work and research in relevant fields. |
