The importance of interface agent visual presence: voice alone is less effective in impacting young women's attitudes toward engineering

Authors:
Rinat B. Rosenberg-Kima;Amy L. Baylor;E. Ashby Plant;Celeste E. Doerr
Affiliations:
Center for Research of Innovative Technologies for Learning, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL;Center for Research of Innovative Technologies for Learning, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL;Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL;Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Venue:
PERSUASIVE'07 Proceedings of the 2nd international conference on Persuasive technology
Year:
2007

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Abstract

Anchored in social agency theory, recent research has emphasized the importance of anthropomorphic interface agents' voice to impact learning-related outcomes. Nevertheless, literature on human social models suggests that the appearance of an interface agent may have important implications for its ability to influence attitudes and self-efficacy. Therefore, we hypothesized that visual presence of the interface agent would result in more positive attitudes toward engineering and greater self-efficacy than the presence of a human voice alone. In accordance to our hypothesis, results revealed that participants who interacted with the visible agents reported significantly greater utility for engineering, greater self-efficacy, and greater interest in engineering related fields than those who interacted with a human voice. Thus, the current work indicates the importance of anthropomorphic agent's visibility in changing attitudes and beliefs.