Print Email Facebook Twitter User Validation of an Empathic Virtual Buddy against Cyberbullying Title User Validation of an Empathic Virtual Buddy against Cyberbullying Author Van der Zwaan, J.M. Geraerts, E. Dignum, V. Jonker, C.M. Faculty Technology, Policy and Management Department Infrastructures, Systems and Services Date 2012-12-31 Abstract People are able to comfort others by talking about their problems. In our research, we are exploring whether computers can provide social support in a similar manner. Recently, we proposed a design for an empathic virtual buddy that supports victims of cyberbullying. To validate our approach in providing social support and to gather feedback from potential users, we performed an experiment (N = 30) to compare interaction with the buddy to reading a text. Both the buddy and the text received high scores; scores for the buddy were consistently higher. The difference was significant for the extent to which feelings were taken into account. These results indicate that participants liked to interact with the buddy and that they recognized the emotional cues emitted by the buddy, thus validating our approach in comforting users. Subject social supportembodied conversational agentscyberbullying To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:885e374d-7052-4e9d-b1d5-3918c6c20879 DOI https://doi.org/10.3233/978-1-61499-121-2-243 Publisher IOS Press ISBN 978-1-61499-120-5 Source http://ebooks.iospress.nl/publication/22080 Source Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine 2012: Advanced Technologies in the Behavioral, Social and Neurosciences. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics 181; authors version Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type book chapter Rights (c) 2012 IOS Press Files PDF 288049.pdf 310.16 KB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:885e374d-7052-4e9d-b1d5-3918c6c20879/datastream/OBJ/view