Using run-time biofeedback during virtual agent-based aggression de-escalation training

Abstract

This exploratory study discusses how biofeedback can be displayed and used in the context of virtual agent-based social skills training. Using Virtual Reality, a prototype of an aggression de-escalation training application has been developed. The application simulates an adaptive scenario in which the user interacts with a threatening virtual conversation partner. The stress level of the user, which is displayed at run-time, influences the development of the scenario. A pilot experiment is conducted to test the impact of the application on users’ subjective experience (measured through a questionnaire) and physiological response (measured through skin conductance). Although preliminary, the results seem to indicate that biofeedback potentially contributes to enhancing the user’s awareness of his/her own emotional state. Implications for the use of biofeedback within virtual training applications are discussed.