Should Agents Speak Like, um, Humans? The Use of Conversational Fillers by Virtual Agents

We describe the design and evaluation of an agent that uses the fillers um and uh in its speech. We describe an empirical study of human-human dialogue, analyzing gaze behavior during the production of fillers and use this data to develop a model of agent-based gaze behavior. We find that speakers are significantly more likely to gaze away from their dialogue partner while uttering fillers, especially if the filler occurs at the beginning of a speaking turn. This model is evaluated in a preliminary experiment. Results indicate mixed attitudes towards an agent that uses conversational fillers in its speech.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: IVA
• Authors: Laura M. Pfeifer, Timothy W. Bickmore
• Keywords: Agent-based Gaze Behavior, Fillers, Gaze Behavior, IVA 2009