Revealing sensitive information in personal interviews: Is self-disclosure easier with humans or avatars and under what conditions?

Pickard, Matthew D.; Roster, Catherine A.; Chen, Yixing

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.004

Cited by 94 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In line with previous studies (Slack and Van Cura, 1968;Lucas et al, 2014;Pickard et al, 2016), these results support the view that virtual human interviewers provide a safe, reduced-stigma context where users may reveal more honest information. However, our results also go beyond prior work in that the current study focused specifically on service members and veterans, rather than a general civilian population.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Initial research on the use of virtual humans to conduct clinical interviews suggests that interviewees are indeed more open to virtual human interviewers than their human counterparts (Slack and Van Cura, 1968;Lucas et al, 2014;Pickard et al, 2016). Because a conversation with a virtual human interviewer may be viewed as more anonymous, users may be more comfortable disclosing about highly sensitive topics and on questions that could lead them to admit something stigmatized or otherwise negative.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, during a clinical interview with a virtual human interviewer, participants disclose more personal details when they are told that the virtual human is autonomous than when they are told that the virtual human is operated by a person in another room . Pickard et al (2016) reported that individuals are more comfortable disclosing to an automated virtual human interviewer than its human counterpart.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Reporting Mental Health Symptoms: Breaking Down Barriers to Care with Virtual Human Interviewers

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A common barrier to healthcare for psychiatric conditions is the stigma associated with these disorders. Perceived stigma prevents many from reporting their symptoms. Stigma is a particularly pervasive problem among military service members, preventing them from reporting symptoms of combat-related conditions like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, research shows (increased reporting by service members when anonymous assessments are used. For example, service members report more symptoms of PTSD when they anonymously answer the Post-Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA) symptom checklist compared to the official PDHA, which is identifiable and linked to their military records. To investigate the factors that influence reporting of psychological symptoms by service members, we used a transformative technology: automated virtual humans that interview people about their symptoms. Such virtual human interviewers allow simultaneous use of two techniques for eliciting disclosure that would otherwise be incompatible; they afford anonymity while also building rapport. We examined whether virtual human interviewers could increase disclosure of mental health symptoms among active-duty service members that just returned from a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan. Service members reported more symptoms during a conversation with a virtual human interviewer than on the official PDHA. They also reported more to a virtual human interviewer than on an anonymized PDHA. A second, larger sample of active-duty and former service members found a similar effect that approached statistical significance. Because respondents in both studies shared more with virtual human interviewers than an anonymized PDHA-even though both conditions control for stigma and ramifications for service members' military records-virtual human interviewers that build rapport may provide a superior option to encourage reporting.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Reporting Mental Health Symptoms: Breaking Down Barriers to Care with Virtual Human Interviewers

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Virtual agents have also been developed to prevent such disorders and symptoms in the first place (e.g., Rizzo et al, 2012). Likewise, virtual agents can help identify disorders and symptoms by interviewing patients about their mental health (e.g., DeVault et al, 2014), and initial evidence suggests that they may be able to evoke greater openness about mental health than human clinical interviewers (Slack and Van Cura, 1968;Lucas et al, 2014;Pickard et al, 2016) or anonymous online clinical surveys (Lucas et al, 2017).…”

Section: Agents For Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of an Empathic Chatbot in Combating Adverse Effects of Social Exclusion on Mood

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

From past research it is well known that social exclusion has detrimental consequences for mental health. To deal with these adverse effects, socially excluded individuals frequently turn to other humans for emotional support. While chatbots can elicit social and emotional responses on the part of the human interlocutor, their effectiveness in the context of social exclusion has not been investigated. In the present study, we examined whether an empathic chatbot can serve as a buffer against the adverse effects of social ostracism. After experiencing exclusion on social media, participants were randomly assigned to either talk with an empathetic chatbot about it (e.g., "I'm sorry that this happened to you") or a control condition where their responses were merely acknowledged (e.g., "Thank you for your feedback"). Replicating previous research, results revealed that experiences of social exclusion dampened the mood of participants. Interacting with an empathetic chatbot, however, appeared to have a mitigating impact. In particular, participants in the chatbot intervention condition reported higher mood than those in the control condition. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications, as well as directions for future research are discussed.

show abstract

“…Advances in simulation and gaming technology have resulted in the ability to create emotionally responsive, three-dimensional VHs that possess personality, memory, and non-verbal gestures, and react like real people engaged in health conversations. As a result, individuals experiencing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use, and suicide risk often report feeling less judged, safer, and more likely to reveal information to VHs when compared to face-to-face conversations of a similar nature (1)(2)(3). This is due to the development of algorithms that enable VHs to consistently and reliably establish rapport with users, provide accurate knowledge, and can react to user responses with evidencedbased communication strategies such as motivational interviewing (MI) (4), all contributing to their effectiveness and high fidelity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual humans: transforming mHealth for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Albright

McMillan

2018

mHealth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of virtual humans (VHs) in mHealth to manage health conversations, ranging from screening and education to changing attitudes and behaviors that reduce risk and increase treatment compliance, and treatment itself, holds tremendous potential to cost-effectively transform worldwide healthcare as we know it. Advances in simulation and gaming technology have resulted in the ability to create emotionally responsive, three-dimensional VHs that possess personality, memory, and non-verbal gestures, and react like real people engaged in health conversations. As a result, individuals experiencing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use, and suicide risk often report feeling less judged, safer, and more likely to reveal information to VHs when compared to face-to-face conversations of a similar nature (1-3). This is due to the development of algorithms that enable VHs to consistently and reliably establish rapport with users, provide accurate knowledge, and can react to user responses with evidencedbased communication strategies such as motivational interviewing (MI) (4), all contributing to their effectiveness and high fidelity. Thus, within conversation dynamics, VHs can respond predictably and efficaciously, never fatigue, do not age, and are not subjected to transference and countertransference reactions that can compromise communication such as a provider's own sets of expectations, beliefs, biases, and emotions that may impact the quality of care. Clearly, VHs hold tremendous potential to leverage healthcare conversations resulting in changing attitudes In the present editorial, we review and expand upon the contributions of Lucas and colleagues (6) in furthering research on the use of VHs in clinical assessment, connecting their study to similar interventions on the market (i.e., those of Kognito). In addition, we recommend avenues for future research and potential broader applications of VHs in workplace settings. Contributions of the present researchThe study conducted by Lucas and colleagues (6) has made a significant contribution in our understanding of, and the potential for using, VHs in conducting screenings that utilized the Post-Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA) symptom checklist with active duty service members and veterans. Data from two groups of participants, one National Guard service members (N=29) and the other, active duty service members and veterans (N=132), show that in both groups, the anonymized conversation between Editorial

show abstract

Revealing sensitive information in personal interviews: Is self-disclosure easier with humans or avatars and under what conditions?

Cited by 94 publications

References 18 publications

Reporting Mental Health Symptoms: Breaking Down Barriers to Care with Virtual Human Interviewers

Reporting Mental Health Symptoms: Breaking Down Barriers to Care with Virtual Human Interviewers

Effectiveness of an Empathic Chatbot in Combating Adverse Effects of Social Exclusion on Mood

Virtual humans: transforming mHealth for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About