Date of Award
2015-01-01
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Computer Science
Advisor(s)
David Novick
Abstract
One of the major goals in research on embodied conversational agents (ECAs) is to increase the believability and perceived trustworthiness of agents. To improve the efficacy of the interaction between humans and ECAs, I focus on the development of rapport, which is a complex and extensive behavioral state of affinity, synchronicity, coordination and mutual understanding that is difficult to model, measure and interpret. I present our AGENT Framework and our ECA, Adriana, which is capable of speech recognition and gesture recognition over long periods of time. Our current system provides up to 60 minutes of human-ECA interaction in a jungle-survival scenario. The benefits of rapport often fall outside of conscious awareness. In this Dissertation I discuss how physical engagement can help establish a stronger sense of emotional connection between humans and virtual characters.
Language
en
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
Copyright Date
2015
File Size
145 pages
File Format
application/pdf
Rights Holder
Ivan Gris Sepulveda
Recommended Citation
Gris Sepulveda, Ivan, "Physical Engagement As A Way To Increase Emotional Rapport In Interactions With Embodied Conversational Agents" (2015). Open Access Theses & Dissertations. 1056.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/open_etd/1056