CHS: Small: Advanced Design Principles for Computer Simulated Agents

CHS：小型：计算机模拟代理的先进设计原理

• 批准号: 1423260
• 负责人: Christine Lisetti
• 金额: $ 49.76万
• 依托单位: Florida International University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-01 至 2020-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1423260&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CHS; Small; Advanced; Design; Principles

This project will investigate human interaction with simulated agents in situations where humans expect empathic communication, such as healthcare. In domains such as this, the person interacts with computer-based interventions (CBI) as an education process evolves. Almost all psychosocial interventions currently available on the web are delivered merely via text. Research indicates that many users will lose interest and drop out, although completion is critical to achieving desired goals. Human-computer interaction literature suggests that interacting with simulated agents can increase the user's engagement, but that the user will expect social competence when interacting with them. This project will answer a set of research questions for the design of simulated characters with some empathic intelligence, to create a new modality for the delivery of CBIs. The specific health-related application area will facilitate development and evaluation of new techniques and design principles, that will have much wider applicability, potentially whenever people interact with computer-based systems through simulated agents. This research will advance the ability of computer scientists to create competent simulated agents that can adapt their verbal and non-verbal behavior to the user's affective states, and over time tailor their interaction to the specific user to produce the maximum positive impact in terms of users' engagement and achievement of their goals. The model of empathy and social competence developed will enable simulated characters to adapt in real time to a user's short-lived emotions over a single interactive session. Longer-term affective states will be modeled over long-term interaction via follow-up sessions with the same individual. Thus, development of rapport between a human and an artificial intelligence is a dynamic process over time, and the research is expected to discover new principles that might not be seen in exclusively short-term interactions. The project will provide: (1) a scheme to design tailored interaction by constructing a dynamic user-model with user's demographic information and fluctuating personal characteristics; (2) a model of empathic verbal communication built by combining motivational interviewing techniques with an ontology-based dialog system; (3) a computational model for the integration of verbal and non-verbal communication cues by adapting the character's facial expressions, vocal modulation, and kinesics to its verbal utterances in the context of the session. In addition, the research will engage scientific questions about diversity in communication style across human groups, facilitated by the fact that the project is housed at the region's principal minority-serving research university. The fact that the research will involve students in the development of systems that integrate multiple technologies will give them an excellent educational experience, gaining competence that will be valuable for a range of future careers.

该项目将研究在人类期望同理心沟通的情况下（例如医疗保健），人类与模拟代理的交互。 在此类领域中，随着教育过程的发展，人们会与基于计算机的干预措施 (CBI) 进行交互。 目前网络上几乎所有的心理社会干预措施都是仅通过文本提供的。 研究表明，尽管完成对于实现预期目标至关重要，但许多用户会失去兴趣并退出。 人机交互文献表明，与模拟代理交互可以增加用户的参与度，但用户在与模拟代理交互时会期望社交能力。 该项目将回答一系列具有移情智能的模拟角色设计的研究问题，以创建一种新的 CBI 交付模式。 与健康相关的特定应用领域将促进新技术和设计原则的开发和评估，这些技术和设计原则将具有更广泛的适用性，无论何时人们通过模拟代理与基于计算机的系统进行交互。这项研究将提高计算机科学家创建有能力的模拟代理的能力，这些代理可以使他们的语言和非语言行为适应用户的情感状态，并随着时间的推移，根据特定用户定制他们的交互，从而在用户的参与和实现其目标方面产生最大的积极影响。 开发的同理心和社交能力模型将使模拟角色能够在单个交互会话中实时适应用户短暂的情绪。 长期情感状态将通过与同一个人的后续会话来建立长期互动的模型。 因此，人类和人工智能之间关系的发展是一个随着时间的推移而动态的过程，并且这项研究预计会发现在短期互动中可能不会出现的新原理。该项目将提供：（1）通过利用用户的人口统计信息和波动的个人特征构建动态用户模型来设计定制交互的方案； （2）将动机访谈技术与基于本体的对话系统相结合构建的移情言语交流模型； (3) 通过调整角色的面部表情、声音调制和运动学以适应会话环境中的言语表达，整合言语和非言语交流线索的计算模型。 此外，该研究还将探讨有关人类群体沟通方式多样性的科学问题，该项目坐落于该地区主要的少数族裔服务研究型大学，这一事实也促进了该研究的发展。 事实上，这项研究将让学生参与集成多种技术的系统的开发，这将为他们提供良好的教育体验，获得对未来一系列职业有价值的能力。