Empathy framework for embodied conversational agents

Empathy is a complex socio-emotional behavior that results from the interaction between affective and cognitive mechanisms. Equipping embodied conversational agents (ECAs) with empathic capacity can benefit from the integration and evaluation of these low and high level capabilities in a hierarchical manner. Following the theoretical background on empathic behavior in humans, this paper presents a framework to equip ECAs with real time multi-modal empathic interaction capabilities. We present the implementation of this framework, which includes basic dialogue capabilities as well as three levels of empathic behavior in a conversational scenario. Our approach is an inclusive stand on modeling levels of empathy and provides a baseline behavior for empathic interaction.     

智慧技能的一般教学模型与实验验证

该文给出了智慧技能的一般教学模型 ,将智慧技能的教学分为两个主要阶段 :陈述性编码阶段、程序性编码阶段。为验证此模型在教学实践中的可行性 ,在课堂教学情境中进行了模拟实验。选取同一所学校初二年级的四个班学生共 2 2 2人 ,随机安排四个班分别接受“欧姆定律”四种教案的教学 :发现式新教案、发现式旧教案、接受式新教案、接受式旧教案 ,随后进行迁移能力测验 ,结果表明采用新教案组织教学 ,即按上述模型控制好影响智慧技能的一些关键因素 ,将更利于学生获取智慧技能。     

Psychometric evaluation of the situation test of heterosocial skill

This study examined various psychometric properties of Forms A and B of the Situation Test, developed by Rehm and Marston (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1968, 37, 565–574) for the assessment of heterosocial skill and anxiety. A third test form composed of heterosocially irrelevant items was also examined for comparison purposes. Split-half, alternate-form, and interresponse consistency was determined for measures of skill, anxiety, response latency, and response duration. Differences across test forms on these measures were also investigated. Subsequently, criterion-related validity was examined relative to three criteria of heterosocial skill. Results indicated that two measures, anxiety and response duration, displayed adequate internal consistency, while that of skill and response latency was marginal. Interresponse consistency was moderately low for all three test forms. Comparisons of mean performances across forms revealed significant differences, with heterosocially irrelevant items appearing easier, in general, than the heterosocial items of Forms A and B. Lastly, significant predictions of peer-reported heterosocial behavior were obtained for all three test forms, but two self-report criteria were not found to be related to test behavior. Various implications of these findings are discussed.Portions of this research were completed while the authors were affiliated with the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. The advice and consultation provided by the late William K. Boardman is gratefully acknowledged. Appreciation is also extended to Michael Breakwell, Linda Maertzweller, Steven Ray, and Jan Rockley for their assistance with data collection.Copies of assessment material and specific instructions to subjects are available upon request.     

It's lonely at the bottom (too): The effects of experienced powerlessness on social closeness and disengagement

Although “powerlessness” is a pervasive experience for employees, prior social power research has predominantly focused on consequences of “powerfulness.” This has led to contradictory predictions for how experienced powerlessness influences employees’ social perceptions and behaviors. To resolve this theoretical tension, we build on Social Distance Theory (Magee & Smith) to develop a theoretical model suggesting that experienced powerlessness reduces social closeness and subsequently causes social disengagement behaviors both at work (reduced helping and increased interaction avoidance) and at home (increased withdrawal). Our model also elucidates the processes that cause powerlessness to reduce social closeness, demonstrating that employees’ affiliation motive and their expectation of others’ interest in affiliating explain this relationship. We further propose that the effect of powerlessness on social closeness will be stronger for employees high (vs. low) in political skill because these employees are more attuned to workplace power dynamics. We find support for our model in an experience-sampling field experiment and two experimental scenario studies. Our research clarifies the effects of powerlessness on social closeness and organizationally relevant downstream consequences, qualifies dominant assumptions that the powerless always behave in ways opposite those of the powerful, and demonstrates the importance of political skill as a moderator of power's effects.     

心理资本对大学生职业决策困难的影响:有调节的中介模型

本研究提出一个有调节的中介模型,揭示了心理资本"怎样"影响大学生职业决策困难及这种影响在不同个体中是否存在差异。采用心理资本量表、职业决策自我效能感量表、社会技能量表和职业决策困难量表对730名大学生进行研究。研究显示：（1）职业决策自我效能感部分中介了心理资本与大学生职业决策困难的关系;（2）社会技能调节了心理资本通过职业决策自我效能感影响大学生职业决策困难的中介过程的前半路径和后半路径。研究结论对促进大学生成功就业具有重要的理论与实证价值。     

“三番式”临床技能教学模式的建立及其在临床医学教学中的应用与思考

传统的临床技能教学存在诸多弊端,从而影响了医学生临床技能的培养及合格医学人才的培养。我们在多年的临床教学实践基础上,构建了临床技能学实践教学平台,创建了“三番式”临床技能教学模式,并将其应用于临床实践教学中,对所取得的显著教学效果进行深入剖析。     

Instruction and load effects on high-skill and low-skill individuals: A study in the domain of mental arithmetic

What happens when people are asked to respond as quickly or as accurately as possible? This study tested the effects of speed/accuracy instructions and working-memory load on people's strategy efficiency and strategy selection. Adult participants solved simple addition problems (Experiment 1) and simple multiplication problems (Experiment 2) under load and no-load conditions and provided trial-by-trial strategy reports. High-skill participants were more efficient than low-skill participants, but the underlying causes of these skill-related effects differed across experiments. In the addition experiment, high-skill participants responded adaptively to the changing situations by changing their strategy choices, which resulted in smaller effects on their actual performance. Low-skill participants in contrast, did not change their strategy choices as adaptively, which resulted in less efficient performance—and especially so under load conditions. In the multiplication experiment, high-skill and low-skill participants differed in strategy efficiencies rather than in strategy choices. In the discussion, the results are further interpreted and future adaptations for the adaptive strategy choice model (ASCM; Siegler & Jenkins, 1989) are suggested.     

Uncovering the structure of a memorist's superior "basic" memory capacity

After extensive laboratory testing of the famous memorist Rajan, Thompson, Cowan, and Frieman (1993) proposed that he was innately endowed with a superior memory capacity for digits and letters and thus violated the hypothesis that exceptional memory fully reflects acquired "skilled memory." We successfully replicated the empirical phenomena that led them to their conclusions. From additional analyses and new experiments, we found support for an alternative hypothesis, namely that Rajan's superior memory for digits was mediated by learned encoding techniques that he acquired during nearly a thousand hours of practice memorizing the mathematical constant pi. Our paper describes a general experimental approach for studying the structure of exceptional memory and how Rajan's unique structure is consistent with the general theoretical framework of long-term working memory (Ericsson and Kintsch, 1995).     

Variation among developmental dyslexics: evidence from a printed-word-learning task

A word-learning task was used to investigate variation among developmental dyslexics classified as phonological and surface dyslexics. Dyslexic children and chronological age (CA)- and reading level (RL)-matched normal readers were taught to pronounce novel nonsense words such as veep. Words were assigned either a regular (e.g., "veep") or an irregular (e.g., "vip") pronunciation. Phonological dyslexics learned both regular and exception words more slowly than the normal readers and, unlike the other groups, did not show a regular-word advantage. Surface dyslexics also learned regular and exception words more slowly than the CA group, consistent with a specific problem in mastering arbitrary item-specific pronunciations, but their performance resembled that of the RL group. The results parallel earlier findings from Manis, Seidenberg, Doi, McBride-Chang, & Petersen [Cognition 58 (1996) 157-195] indicating that surface dyslexics and phonological dyslexics have a different profile of reading deficits, with surface dyslexics resembling younger normal readers and phonological dyslexics showing a specific phonological deficit. Models of reading and reading disability need to account for the heterogeneity in reading processes among dyslexic children.