Social Dialogue and Entrainment in a Teachable Robot

How should a robot speak in order to socially engage learners? In this project, students explain equation solving problems to a robot. The robot listens to the students and responds by asking questions and stating comments about the problems, all while using its tone of voice to build a connection with the student. Through this work, we are learning how to effectively adapt an agent’s tone of voice and dialogue to each learner as well as developing a better understanding of the differential effects those adaptations have on male and female students. 

Collaborators: Nichola Lubold, Heather Pon-Barry, Amy Ogan