Evaluation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy with Embodied Conversational Agents

Abstract

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a training that has been established to correct human cognitive distortions. We aim to achieve low cost and highly effective automation by an embodied conversational agent to recreate the human therapists' CBT. As a first step, we implemented dialogue systems with fixed questions based on cognitive restructuring. We prepared two types of dialogues: questions presented by text or spoken dialogue agents. The depression scales, changes in emotions during the session (effects of training), level of CBT achievement, the rapport scale were measured from 28 graduate students and undergraduate students. As a result, users' emotions significantly changed between pre- and post- sessions were confirmed (25 out of 28 participants improved). We also analyzed some characteristics extracted from facial expressions. As a result, a facial expression characteristic correlated with the negative emotional intensity rate and the depression scale score.