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The virtual humans generated using responsive virtual human technology (RVHT) go by many
other names, including embodied conversational agents, intelligent agents, synthetic
characters, and others. However called, they are used in diverse fields, both for gaming
and for training and assessment. In these pages are some examples from one researcher's
ongoing efforts. Specific situations addressed include:
- Medical practitioners acquiring and practicing interprofessional skills;
- Law enforcement officers handling crisis situations involving mental illness;
and
- Military officers engaging with foreign civilians.
These efforts have addressed multiple research issues relevant for RVHT to reach the
sophistication required for robust interaction skills training. Important questions
that have been answered include:
- How is behavior modeled under normal conditions (i.e., a calm adult) and derivative
conditions (e.g., anger, schizophrenia, pain, childhood)?
- What expressions, gestures, movement, and other behaviors will users interpret as
serene, angry, schizophrenic, pained, or childlike?
- What skills can be acquired, practiced, and validated using RVHT? What is involved
in providing a convincing simulation of human interaction where acquired skills
transfer to a live environment?
- How can situations be presented to provided an authentic environment for a
situated assessment of complex skills?
The research results have exposed a range of additional training and educational
opportunities, such as interviewing risky behavior and presenting rare, traumatic
events. Combinations of RVHT-based training and instructor-led training offer significantly
reduced training development and delivery costs, and increased student throughput,
while maintaining training effectiveness and consistency.
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