Engaged and Affective Virtual Agents: Their Impact on Social Presence, Trustworthiness, and Decision-Making in the Group Discussion

• DOI: 10.1145/3613904.3642917
• Publication Date: 2024-05-11T08:38:06Z
• Authors: Hanseob Kim; Bin Han; Jieun Kim; Muhammad Firdaus ...; Gerard Jounghyun Kim; Jae-In Hwang
• Keywords: Trustworthiness; Group Decision Making; Affect

This study investigates how different virtual agent (VA) behaviors influence subjects' perceptions and group decision-making. Participants carried out experimental discussions with a VA exhibiting varying levels of engagement affective behavior. Engagement refers to the VA's focus on task, whereas behavior reflects emotional state. The findings revealed that engagements effectively captured participants' attention even in setting enhanced synergy, thereby facilitating more in-depth discussion producing better consensus. On other hand, negatively affected perceived social presence trustworthiness. Consequently, context discussion, participants preferred engaged non-affective non-engaged VA. provides valuable insights for improving behavioral design as team member collaborative tasks.