‘It's just like you talk to a friend’ relational agents for older adults

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• 作者：Timothy W. Bickmore ; Lisa Caruso ; Kerri Clough-Gorr and Tim Heeren
• 关键词：Relational agents ; Social interfaces ; Human– ; computer interaction
• 刊名：Interacting with Computers
• 出版年：2005
• 出版时间：2005
• 年：2005
• 卷：17
• 期：6
• 页码：711-735
• 全文大小：413 K

文摘

Relational agents—computational artifacts designed to build and maintain long-term social–emotional relationships with users—may provide an effective interface modality for older adults. This is especially true when the agents use simulated face-to-face conversation as the primary communication medium, and for applications in which repeated interactions over long time periods are required, such as in health behavior change. In this article, we discuss the design of a relational agent for older adults that plays the role of an exercise advisor, and report on the results of a longitudinal study involving 21 adults aged 62–84, half of whom interacted with the agent daily for 2 months in their homes and half who served as a standard-of-care control. Results indicate the agent was accepted and liked, and was significantly more efficacious at increasing physical activity (daily steps walked) than the control.