CoEmpaTeam: Enhancing Cognitive Empathy using LLM-based Avatars and Dynamic Role Play in Virtual Reality

TL;DR

This paper introduces CoEmpaTeam, a VR system using LLM-driven avatars for dynamic role play to effectively train and enhance cognitive empathy, demonstrating significant improvements in users' perspective-taking skills.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel VR-based platform that employs diverse LLM-driven avatars for immersive empathy training, validated through technical and experimental evaluations.

Findings

Significant increase in cognitive empathy after training.

Participants reported transfer of skills to real-life situations.

Validated effectiveness through online and lab experiments.

Abstract

Cognitive empathy, the ability to understand others' perspectives, is essential for effective communication, reducing biases, and constructive negotiation. However, this skill is declining in a performance-driven society, which prioritizes efficiency over perspective-taking. Here, the training of cognitive empathy is challenging because it is a subtle, hard-to-perceive soft skill. To address this, we developed CoEmpaTeam, a VR-based system that enables users to train their cognitive empathy by using LLM-driven avatars with different personalities. Through dynamic role play, users actively engage in perspective-taking, experiencing situations through another person's eyes. CoEmpaTeam deploys three avatars who significantly differ in their personality, validated by a technical evaluation and an online experiment (n=90). Next, we evaluated the system through a lab experiment with 32 participants who performed three sessions across two weeks, followed by a one-week diary study. Our results showed a significant increase in cognitive empathy, which, according to participants, transferred into their real lives.