The appearance effect: Influences of virtual agent features on performance and motivation

Feedback source modality effects on training outcomes in a serious game: Pedagogical agents make a difference

“…This involves examining the type of communications and interactions these agents support (i.e., timing of feedback, specificity of feedback, etc. ), and how their appearance and social agency effects outcomes of interest (Shiban et al, 2015). This aligns with Baylor's (2011) description of a genuine agent interaction, which consists of three factors: (1) how the agent appears to the learner, (2) how the agent communicates non-verbally with the learner, and (3) the type of content and discourse supported by the agent.…”

“…Specifically, the incorporation of social agents based on the persona effect have been found to increase motivation for using a system, as well as stimulate interest in topics across multiple subjects and learning environments (Gulz, 2004;Heidig & Clarebout, 2011;Veletsianos & Russell, 2014). In terms of motivation, a common conclusion from research shows character enhanced systems to report as more entertaining, lively, likeable, or engaging (André & Rist, 2001;Johnson, Rickel, & Lester, 2000;Lester, 2011;Lester et al, 1997a;Shiban et al, 2015). Research continues to examine elements of the persona effect to determine agent characteristics that optimize learning outcomes.…”

“…This aligns with Baylor's (2011) description of a genuine agent interaction, which consists of three factors: (1) how the agent appears to the learner, (2) how the agent communicates non-verbally with the learner, and (3) the type of content and discourse supported by the agent. In turn, prior research can be categorized around three themes (Shiban et al, 2015): (1) dialogue design (Johnson et al, 2004;Lin, Atkinson, Christopherson, Joseph, & Harrison, 2013); (2) advanced communication features, like displays of emotion and gestures (Allmendinger, 2010;Olney et al, 2012;Visschedijk, Lazonder, van der Hulst, Vink, & Leemkuil, 2013); and (3) agent appearance (Bailenson, Blascovich, & Guadagno, 2008;Baylor, 2011;Baylor & Kim, 2009;Veletsianos, 2010).…”

“…For this study we focused primarily on agent appearance within a highly dynamic open-ended game-based training environment, which is a recognized gap in EPA related research (Gulz & Haake, 2006;Shiban et al, 2015;Veletsianos & Russell, 2014). Existing work on agent appearance primarily associates with what is termed the persona effect.…”

The Role of Agent Age and Gender for Middle-Grade Girls

“…They found that the agent's age and gender significantly influenced the students' perceived utility of the agent and their interest in the agent. A study in Germany (Shiban et al, 2015) compared the effect of an older male agent and a young female agent on college-level psychology students' motivation and performance. The students showed higher interest in the young female agent, but their performance was not different based on the agent conditions.…”