Abstract
Computer-based humanlike characters known as "Embodied Conversational Agents" (ECAs) simulate face-to-face interactions and are being successfully incorporated into the educational field to provide psychological support. Objectives: The major objective of this research is to propose a psychological intervention, aimed at increasing the mental health of students. Such a design would need to: a. determine whether levels of psychopathology have decreased following the intervention; b. discover how the interaction with the artificial agent is perceived; and c. examine the relationship between exam grades and the rate of module completion.
Methods: Participants would be randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1) an active interaction group with the ECA, 2) a passive interaction group watching video clips, or 3) a waiting list group with no interaction. Throughout the course of a 4-week intervention, participants in the 2 experimental groups would have access to modules on: managing procrastination, being calm, challenging beliefs, and developing self-compassion. The psychopathology level, the perception of the interaction with the agent, and the exam performance would be measured at three-time points: pre-test, mid-test, and post-test. In contrast to the other 2 groups, we hypothesized that students in the active interaction group would have higher levels of mental health, perceive the agent more favourably, and perform better. Conclusions: This study proposes a psychological intervention to assist students in maintaining better mental health throughout the exam session, in line with theoretical guidelines on how to improve the interaction with an ECA. |
