The Social Psychology of Dialogue Simulation as Applied in Elbot

Because of the high expectations users have on virtual assistants to interact with said systems on a human level, the rules of social interaction potentially apply and less the influence of emotion cues associated with the system responses. To this end the social psychological theories of control, reactance, schemata, and social comparison suggest strategies to transform the dialogue with a virtual assistant into an encounter with a consistent and cohesive personality, in effect using the mind-set of the user to the advantage of the conversation, provoking the user into reacting predictably while at the same time preserving the user's illusion of control. These methods are presented in an online system: Elbot.com.