Exploring the role of embodiment on intimacy perception in a multiparty collaborative task

TL;DR

This study investigates how embodiment influences perception of intimacy and cohesion in multiparty collaborative tasks, using an experimental protocol with humans playing a board game to analyze social dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces an experimental protocol to examine the impact of agent embodiment on social perception and group cohesion in collaborative settings.

Findings

Embodiment affects perceived intimacy among agents.

Group cohesion is influenced by embodiment differences.

Protocol outlines challenges in multi-agent system design.

Abstract

During collaborative board games, cohesion represents a key aspect to define a well functionning group. From the success of the task to the developement of interpersonal relationship, this concept covers many aspects of group dynamics. The goal of our work is to investigate the factors that impact cohesion in a group, and specifically the relevant social skills that improve collaboration between multiple entities. In this article, we focus on the role of embodiement on different aspects of an interaction. We propose an experimental protocol, based on a collected corpus of humans playing a collaborative board game, to study how different agents' embodiment affect the perception of these agents and of the group as a whole. We conclude by presenting an outline of the problematics of the conception of the protocol and of multi-agent system related challenges.