Text-based Chat Research Articles

Practice makes progress: an evaluation of an online scientist–student chat activity in improving scientists’ perceived communication skills

Scientists are ideally placed to inform, inspire and empower others in science, and thus contribute towards the formation of a scientifically informed society. Despite the increasing emphasis on scientists engaging in Public Engagement in Science, there is not enough structured spaces for scientists to practice. Social-distancing policies incurred by the COVID-19 crisis have forced many PES programmes to move online, incurring further limitations on both training and structured spaces to practice. This pilot study aimed to investigate the impact of participation in four short online training modules and online PES activity on scientists’ perceived science communication skills. I’m a Cell EXPLORERS Scientist Online Chat, is a 35-minute text-based chat where young people (aged 11–15 years old) ask questions about science and being a scientist. Both the training and activity were informed by the ‘Science Capital Teaching Approach’. The participating scientists (N = 11, 8 female and 3 male scientists) comprised a mix of staff and students from four Higher Education Institutions in Ireland. Data were collected via surveys completed after the initial training, directly after each chat, and at the end of the project. Findings indicated that participating in the PES activity increased scientists’ perceived proficiency in various science communication skills.

Capturing individual differences in social motivation using a novel interactive task

Extensive brain and behavioral research indicates that humans are motivated to interact socially. Most research on social reward, however, employs decontextualized social stimuli (e.g., photographs of faces), leaving open questions about which components of interaction are most rewarding and whether their relative value differs across people. We designed a novel text-based chat paradigm to quantify preferences to self-disclose versus learn about a social partner. Crucially, although participants believed they were interacting with a real person, the chat partner was simulated, allowing for rigorous experimental control. Across a series of trials, participants chose between sharing about themselves, learning about their partner, or learning a non-social trivia fact. Each choice was paired with a monetary value to precisely titrate the subjective reward of each option. At the group level, participants preferred learning about their partner. Additionally, participants who showed the greatest motivation for social learning had higher perspective taking and social cognitive skills, lower levels of narcissism, and lower levels of social media dependence. Overall, results suggest that individual differences in the reward value of particular components of social interaction may correlate with real-world traits and behaviors, with implications for measuring and understanding variability in human social experience.

Dealing with disagreement: The depolarizing effects of everyday diplomatic skills face-to-face and online

In online text-based discussions, people behave less diplomatically because they are more outspoken and less responsive. This can feed impressions of polarization. This article uses a new methodology to isolate the influence of outspokenness and responsiveness in shaping perceptions of polarization in online chat and face-to-face discussions. Text-based online and face-to-face discussions were reproduced in a face-to-face format (Study 1) and in a text-based chat format (Study 2). Uninformed observers (N = 102 and N = 103, repeated measures) evaluated these. The results showed that responsiveness was generally considered indicative of agreement and good social relationships but the interpretation of outspokenness (or lack of ambiguity) depended on the medium format. This suggests that what counts as diplomacy is not the same for each medium. Moreover, the experiences of the actors reproducing the chats in a face-to-face format highlighted the differences between media. We conclude that online conversational dynamics may play an important role in societal polarization.

Web Conference Internet Traffic Analysis during Study-from-Home Period: Case in Sampoerna University

Web conference feature embedded in Learning Management System (LMS) has been implemented in Sampoerna University (SU) to support mandatory Teaching-and-Learning from home activities during early stage of Covid-19 spreading period in Jakarta. The use of technologies and Internet connection to support these academic activities became very essential. The objec-tive of this research is to analyze internet speed and quota con-sumptions to meet the web conference requirements. Lecturers and students need sufficient Internet quota, stable Internet connection with proper speed, either using wired or wireless connection, in prepaid or postpaid subscriptions for smooth online learning. This research was an exploratory and quantitative research with surveys using non-probability with identified voluntary response sampling. The results showed that web conferences using BigBlueButton for audio-call, text-based chat, and rarely updated presenter shared-screen consumed only 3.11% of average students’ Internet connection speed, while the quota consumptions for 3 Credit Points Course session were 129.15 MB (Megabyte) per session, and for 4 Credit Points Course session were 140.2 MB per session. It was concluded that students are supposed to experience no or less delay during web conferences, and still have plenty of Internet bandwidth that can be utilized to support Study-from-Home activities.

Care Guide System for Caregivers of People with Dementia.

In this paper, we introduce a care guide system for caregivers of People with Dementia (PwD) at home or care facility. The system is composed of context data manager, ontological model of caring PwD, and reasoning system that adaptively generates care guides in various circumstances. Caregivers can utilize the proposed system by managing care knowledge through graphical user interface or inquire a care guide through smartphone application for text-based chatting. Knowledge models implemented in the proposed system were evaluated by the experts in caring people with dementia.

“I'm Kinda Stuck at Home With Unsupportive Parents Right Now”: LGBTQ Youths' Experiences With COVID-19 and the Importance of Online Support

PurposeLGBTQ youth are a population who experience unique stressors. This study investigated their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic via Q Chat Space—a national online chat-based support program. MethodsTranscript data from 31 synchronous, text-based chats collected during the onset of state-based “social distancing” ordinances in Spring 2020 were analyzed. ResultsWhile encountering COVID-19–related stressors likely to be experienced by youth generally, participants' experiences were concomitantly imbued with LGBTQ-specific intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural challenges. Difficulties included maintaining mental health, being isolated with unsupportive families, and loss of in-person identity-based socialization and support. ConclusionsFindings highlight the importance of synchronous, text-based online platforms to enable LGBTQ youth to feel safe to seek support while at home. Given the potential for long-term physical distancing, concerted efforts are required to provide necessary resources and support for LGBTQ youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Communication Formats and Their Impact on Patient Perception and Working Mechanisms: A Mixed-Methods Study of Chat-Based vs. Face-to-Face Psychotherapy for Insomnia

The application of Internet-based interventions within stepped-care models raises the question of when patients should receive Internet-based treatment and when patients should receive face-to-face (FtF) treatment. To address this question, the patient perception and effects of working mechanisms were evaluated after brief psychotherapy for insomnia applying a mixed-methods approach. Treatment was either delivered through a text-based chat or it was delivered FtF. Almost half of the patients who received the chat-based treatment indicated that chat-based communication was appropriate for them when dealing with sleep difficulties, but that they would prefer FtF communication for more sensitive topics. Results from the therapists’ evaluations of working mechanisms yielded that these working mechanisms were more strongly associated with treatment outcome in the FtF condition than they were in the chat-based condition. To understand and to interpret the results, media richness theory may be a useful tool: More severely impaired patients and patients with more complex concerns may need more complex (richer) communication formats for treatment delivery. Such heuristics may help to better justify treatment recommendations and optimize media choice in Internet-based interventions, e.g., by defining moments when human interaction is needed and moments when communication could be conducted by nonhuman chatbots.

COVID-19 Lockdown: A Review of an Alternative to the Traditional Approach to Research

This study aims to offer alternative ways of conducting research in the periods of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic when the traditional research approaches are not feasible. This is crucial as some researchers hold the wrong perception that such difficult times are only fallow periods to focus on their personal and family problems. The study argues that there is the need for researchers to be busy carrying out investigations aimed at finding solutions to the multiplicity of problems faced by global communities as a result of the pandemic. Using desk research and document analysis of secondary data from published articles, the study discusses research approaches, particularly, alternative means of garnering primary and secondary data for investigating the COVID-19 pandemic from different academic disciplines. It posits that telephone and video conferencing interviews, text-based chats and e-surveys are alternative means for collecting primary data while secondary data from published articles and newspaper reports are viable means of generating reliable data for research. These alternative approaches to research would keep researchers busy in finding solutions to the difficult challenges faced during pandemics, the period their services are needed the most.

Text-based Computer-mediated Discourse Analysis: What Causes an Online Group to Become a Virtual Community?

The present study seeks to explore how computer-mediated discourse analysis can be useful for the study of online interaction, in particular, text-based multiparty interaction. The data are from the text-based chat group of high school English language teachers in China, which consists of more than one thousand members. Because of the fluid membership, reduced social accountability, and lack of shared geographical space, it seems that not every online group automatically becomes a “community”. Addressing this concern, and informed by the computer-mediated discourse analysis (CMDA) proposed by Herring, the researcher seeks to investigate the properties of virtual communities and to assess the extent to which they are realized by specific online groups.

PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS FOR LEUKEMIA SURVIVAL USING AI BOTS

A Chatbot is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) software that conducts a conversation with users via text-based method without any human intervention at the server side. In this project we implemented only limited features like text-based chatting which is designed only for the people who are dealing with Leukemia. People can ask about anything and everything related to leukemia symptoms and the bot will provide the necessary precautions based on their queries. People can communicate with the chatbot which makes the computers closer to human-level understanding. The Chatbot collects the keywords and will start the conversation by asking queries to the users and provide the suggesting remedies. KEYWORDS- Chatbot, Leukemia, Cancerbot.

L1 vs L2 synchronous text-based interaction in computer-mediated L2 writing

This study investigates the quality of the L2 written outcome and the interactions produced in synchronous text-based L1 and L2 collaboration. On the one hand, it explores fluency, accuracy, and complexity measures in order to compare participants’ L2 performance in a task-based writing assignment using Google Docs. On the other hand, it examines the areas of negotiation in their L1 and L2 synchronous interactions in order to assess possible differences. Eighty-five intermediate students of Spanish were randomly assigned to four different dyadic writing groups: a control group, a collaborative L1 text-based chat group, a collaborative L2 text-based chat group, and a group of dyads who collaborated on Google Docs but were not permitted to chat. ANOVA analyses of the L2 writing measures under scrutiny showed that the dyads that collaborated in their L1 had a significant advantage in the accuracy measure utilized. Additionally, analyses of the interactions produced by the dyads in both chat groups showed that the L1 chat group conversed more but focused less on the L2. These results are discussed in relation to the relevant previous literature and should continue the discussion on translanguaging and how L1 can be of use in L2 writing.

Enhancing group-based internet obesity treatment: A pilot RCT comparing video and text-based chat.

SummaryObjectiveInternet delivery of behavioural weight control interventions offers potential for broad geographic reach and accessibility, but weight losses online fall short of those produced with the same programme delivered in‐person. This pilot study examined feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a video‐based platform for delivering weekly chat as part of a 6‐month, 24‐session online group behavioural weight control programme compared with the established text‐based format, which has produced the best online weight losses to date.MethodWomen with obesity (N = 32) were randomized to either (a) weekly video group chat sessions and provided with a cellular‐enabled scale (Video) or (b) Text‐based weekly chat sessions and given a digital scale (Text) and followed for 6 months to determine weight loss and treatment engagement.ResultsWomen randomized to the ideo condition lost more weight than those in the Text condition (−5.0 ± 6.0% vs. −3.0 ± 4.1%, respectively) at 6 months, although the difference was not statistically significant. However, women in the Video condition had significantly greater treatment engagement, with greater self‐monitoring and website utilization than those in the Text condition.ConclusionsVideoconference delivery of group‐based online weight control accompanied by a cellular‐connected scale may promote greater treatment engagement and weight loss than text‐based chat. A larger, adequately powered study is warranted to determine which elements drive these enhanced treatment outcomes.

The effects of brief chat-based and face-to-face psychotherapy for insomnia: a randomized waiting list controlled trial

BackgroundRecent studies have directly compared the effects of Internet-based self-help interventions with face-to-face (FtF) treatment, but groups may also differ regarding other aspects, aside from the fact that the former is online and the latter offline. Thus, we examined the effects of a brief three-session psychotherapy for insomnia that was delivered FtF or through synchronous text-based chats. MethodsSeventy-three patients diagnosed with insomnia were randomized to either FtF treatment, a chat-based treatment, or to a waiting list control group (WL). Treatment included topics that covered imagination, sleep restriction, sleep hygiene, repetition, and consolidation. ResultsCompared to WL, patients in both groups improved regarding sleep quality (dFtF = 1.02, dchat = 1.69) and improvements remained at the two-month follow-up (FU; dFtF = 1.18, dchat = 2.40). Improvements in actigraphic sleep onset latency that had been gained at the post-test time point, disappeared at FU, while subjective improvements remained. At FU, patients in the chat group outperformed FtF patients regarding subjective total sleep time, anxiety, depression, and cognitive pre-sleep arousal. ConclusionThree sessions were efficacious in treating insomnia, and the chat-based treatment slightly outperformed FtF treatment. This may be caused by the highly individualized treatment approach, by the fact that chatting forces both patients and therapists to adhere to the essence of the treatment goal, by increased feelings of privacy, autonomy, and a sense of felt responsibility for treatment. These hypotheses should be validated in future studies. So far, we can summarize that chat-based communication facilitates the treatment of patients who cannot or who do not want to attend FtF treatment.

Negotiation as an interpersonal skill: Generalizability of negotiation outcomes and tactics across contexts at the individual and collective levels

As part of a program of research to develop and evaluate assessments of interpersonal skills, we developed a dyadic negotiation task that allows participants to select options and to communicate with each other through a chat window interface. Based on the New Recruit negotiation task, we developed an assessment of negotiation skills that included three negotiation issue types—distributive (zero-sum), integrative (trade-off), and compatible (aligned)--implemented in two tasks (Fundraiser and Robot) given to 84 participants in dyads. We found evidence for the generalizability of negotiation skill across tasks at both the individual (r = 0.62) and joint (r = 0.74) levels. Participants' chat turns were coded into 14 tactic categories (e.g., making a concession, stating a disagreement). Tactic use across tasks was consistent at both individual (average correlation was r = 0.52), and joint (r = 0.58) levels. Principal component analysis of tactics used identified four tactic types (cooperative, competitive, greetings, impasse). Greater use of cooperative tactics was associated with higher joint negotiation scores (i.e., sum of individual scores). This research contributes to an understanding of negotiation as a general individual and joint skill and suggests specific tactics associated with that skill. The research also highlights the value of an online platform for conducting such research that enables small-group interactive task performance in which participants communicate with each other using a text-based chat box.

Relationship building in L2 telecollaboration: examining language learner closings in online text-based chats

ABSTRACTOnline exchanges among learners are an important form of communication in language learning contexts. This is due to the affordances this medium of communication creates for learning as well as the growing interest in internationalization of curricula. In fact, online communication can foster connections between people, including learners, across the globe. This paper is based on a qualitative analysis of online chat communication between Canadian learners of German and German learners of English. We discuss how these learners negotiate closing sequences in their chats, considering that the patterns for closing sequences may be different in different languages or be culture-specific and learners need to make choices on a spectrum between business focus (i.e. staying on task) vs. personal focus (i.e. addressing personal information). Hence, learners must negotiate interactive patterns that they may not be familiar with in creative ways that establish and maintain interpersonal relationships. Research about online communication helps to better understand learner communication, especially in an international context. In addition, it helps raise language awareness for teacher training and provides impetus for sensitizing teachers and learners to the ways in which interaction works and how relationships are maintained in communication.

The effect of synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) on EFL learners' pragmatic competence

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of computer-mediated communication (CMC), as compared with traditional face-to-face instruction, on the acquisition of the request speech act. It also examined the differential impacts of synchronous and asynchronous CMC modes on pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic competences. The participants were 106 Iranian EFL learners who received the treatment via synchronous (Syn), asynchronous (Asyn), and face-to-face (F-F) instruction types for eight sessions during an intensive extracurricular program. During each of the treatment sessions, the participants received the metapragmatic instruction; watched computerized video clips on requests; and then were paired with a partner to discuss some prescribed questions and to create their own dialogues based on the given situations. During this phase, they were engaged in synchronous text-based chat, asynchronous text-based chat, or face-to-face discussion, based on their group assignment. Prior to and after the treatment, the written discourse completion test (WDCT) pretest and post-test were administered. The data analysis by an ANCOVA and a series of t-tests showed the superiority of CMC-oriented instruction over F-F instruction. While no significant difference was found between Syn and Asyn groups in their post-test performance, they performed differentially on some measures of pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic competences. The findings have pedagogical implications for EFL teachers, practitioners, and courseware designers to use CMC affordances for delivering pragmatics instruction.

EEG & Eye-Tracking Changes With Expertise In A Multi-Vehicle Control Task

EEG & Eye-Tracking Changes With Expertise In A Multi-Vehicle Control Task

Effects of Different Types of Text-Based Chat on Korean EFL Students’ Writing Performance

Effects of Different Types of Text-Based Chat on Korean EFL Students’ Writing Performance

Researching Learner Self-Efficacy and Online Participation through Speech Functions: An exploratory study

This study explores the potential contribution of Eggins and Slade’s (2004) Speech Functions as tools for describing learners’ participation patterns in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication (SCMC). Our analysis focuses on the relationship between learners’ self-efficacy (i.e. personal judgments of second language performance capabilities) and discourse roles displayed in the online medium. A small corpus of data was selected as a sample from a larger study, comprising one face-to-face interaction (FtF2) and one synchronous text-based chat interaction (SCMC2) between two participants: Celine, a high-self-efficacy (HSE) learner, and Concetta, a low-self-efficacy (LSE) learner. The chat-log and conversation transcript were analyzed by employing: (a) quantitative measures of participation; namely words and turns produced by the participants, (b) Dörnyei and Kormos’s (1998) taxonomy of Communication Strategies, and (c) Eggins and Slade’s (2004) classification of speech functions. Our results suggest that speech functions are indeed effective at describing the social roles enacted by learners during interaction across the two media, in terms of discourse dependence or independence, as well as dominance. Therefore, by complementing other methods, such as quantitative measures of participation and qualitative analyses of communication strategies, speech functions can contribute to providing a comprehensive picture of the relationship between SCMC, learners’ selfefficacy, and participation patterns.

“Here's the link”: Hyperlinking in service-focused chat interaction

Today, most service organizations offer their clients a range of communication modes, including text-based chat which affords including hyperlinks to relevant sources of information. No studies have yet explored how hyperlinks are used in these interactions. Conversation analysis provides a set of concepts that can be used to explore the actions for which hyperlinks are being employed. We analyzed the use of hyperlinks by professionals in two types of chat services – 25 chat sessions from the Dutch national alcohol and drugs information service and 175 chats from an American university library chat service. We noted three types of hyperlinks: (1) hyperlinks as direct responses to the client's inquiry; (2) hyperlinks as proposed responses with a subset of cases in which parties are navigating to the linked website; (3) hyperlinks offered as supplemental resources. Providing links can influence the service encounter by ending the chat when it represents an acceptable response, by keeping the chat channel open when the client is not actively participating, or by launching a negotiation or collaborative navigation outside of the chat. Hyperlinking facilitates online service provision but may also jeopardize it when the link is treated as a proximate invitation.