Analyses of the effects of agents' performing self-adaptors

Abstract

This paper introduces the results of a series of experiments on the impression of agents that perform self-adaptors. Human-human interactions were video-taped and analyzed with respect to usage of different types of self-adaptors (relaxed/stressful), and gender-specific self-adaptors (masculine/feminine). We then implemented virtual agents that performed these self-adaptors. Evaluation of the interactions between humans and agents suggested: 1) Relaxed self-adaptors were more likely to prevent any deterioration in the perceived friendliness of the agents than agents without self-adaptors. 2) People with higher social skills harbor a higher perceived friendliness with agents that exhibited self-adaptors than people with lower social skills. 3) Impressions of interactions with agents are formed by mutual-interactions between the self-adaptors and the conversational content. 4) There are cultural differences in sensitivity to other culture's self-adaptors. 5) There is a dichotomy on the impression on the agents that perform gender-specific self-adaptors between participants’ gender.