Social Agency in an Interactive Training System

Interactive training systems often use avatars to depict an advisor that provides feedback on the exercise. In the framework of the SmartSenior project, which developed technologies for people with age related limitations, we realized an interactive trainer for stroke rehabilitation. The UI contained two avatars, one for the training person itself to provide feedback on her motion, and one for a physiotherapist, who guides the user through the exercises. In the study presented here, we looked especially at the social agency related aspects of this system. We tested the system using the AttrakDiffTM questionnaire and used the results to rate various aspects of social agentship.