Influence of Prior Knowledge and Embodiment on Human-Agent Interaction

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to capture characteristics of Human-Agent Interactions in a collaborative environment. The goal was to explore the following two issues: (1) Whether the user's emotional state is more stimulated when the user has a human schema, as opposed to a computer agent schema, and (2) Whether the user's emotional state is more stimulated when the user interacts with a human-like ECA (Embodied Conversational Agent), as opposed to a non human-like ECA or when there is no ECA. Results obtained in the experiment suggest that: (a) participants with a human schema produce higher ratings, compared to those with a computer agent schema, on the emotional (interpersonal stress and affiliation emotion) scale of communication; (b) A human-like interface is associated with higher ratings, compared to the cases of a robot-like interface and a no ECA interface, on the emotional (e.g., interpersonal stress and affiliation emotion) scale of communication.