Evaluating the effects of behavioral realism in embodied agents

Authors:
Victoria Groom;Clifford Nass;Tina Chen;Alexia Nielsen;James K. Scarborough;Erica Robles
Affiliations:
Department of Communication, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Building 120, Stanford, CA 94305-2050, USA;Department of Communication, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Building 120, Stanford, CA 94305-2050, USA;Department of Communication, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Building 120, Stanford, CA 94305-2050, USA;Department of Communication, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Building 120, Stanford, CA 94305-2050, USA;Department of Communication, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Building 120, Stanford, CA 94305-2050, USA;Department of Communication, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Building 120, Stanford, CA 94305-2050, USA
Venue:
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies
Year:
2009

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Abstract

Designers of embodied agents constantly strive to create agents that appear more human-like, with the belief that increasing the human-likeness of agents will improve users' interactions with agents. While designers have focused on visual realism, less attention has been paid to the effects of agents' behavioral realism on users' responses. This paper presents an empirical study that compared three theories of agent realism: Realism Maximization Theory, Uncanny Valley Theory, and Consistency Theory. Results of this study showed that people responded best to an embodied agent when it demonstrated moderately realistic, inconsistent behavior. These results support Uncanny Valley Theory and demonstrate the powerful influence of agent behavior on users' responses.