[Reading] A Study in Users' Physiological Response to an Empathic Interface Agent

Helmut Prendinger, Christian Becker, and Mitsuru Ishizuka.
A study in users' physiological response to an empathic interface agent. [pdf]
International Journal of Humanoid Robotics, Vol. 3, No. 3, Sept. 2006, pp 371-391.
http://www.worldscinet.com/191/03/0303/S0219843606000801.html


Game: Skip-Bo
Emotion recognition: SC, EMG, & game sate(time) as input, 2-axes (arousal & valence) as output. (ref29)
Method: ANOVA
Subject: 32 (14m, 18f)
Hypothesis:

• If the virtual game opponent behaves ``naturally'' in that if follows its own goals and expresses associated positively or negatively valenced affective behaviors, users will be less aroused or stressed than when the agent does not do so.
• If the game opponent is oriented only toward its own goals and displays associated behaviors, users will be less aroused or stressed than when the agent does not express any emotion at all.
  

Agent's behavior:

• non-emotional
• self-centered emotional
• negative empathic
• positive empathic
  

Agent's abilities: (in PAD space)

• auditory speech
• facial
• body gesture

Result:

• The positive empathic condition was experienced as significantly more arousaling or stressful than the negative empathic condition.
  
• Users seemingly do not respond significantly different when empahtic agent behavior is absent.
  

Notes:

• EMG high, negative valence more
• global baseline -> for individual differences