The Impact of an Agent’s Voice in Psychological Counseling: Session Evaluation and Counselor Rating

As an agent delivers content during the communication between an artificial intelligence (AI) machine and a person, the voice of the agent is a crucial factor to be considered. Particularly in the fields of eHealth, the perception of users toward an agent is crucial as it significantly affects the communication between the agent and its patients, as well as the treatment results. Thus, this study examined the effects of the voice of an agent on the perception of users toward the agent and its counseling effects. This study developed a psychological counseling agent with four voices according to gender and age, communicated with the subjects through such agent, and measured the perception of users toward the agent and its counseling effects through a questionnaire. Results demonstrated that the female-voiced agent had a higher level of attractiveness than the male-voiced agent, regardless of the age of such voice, and the agent using an older voice had a higher level of expertness and depth than the agent using a younger voice, regardless of the gender of such voice. The findings of this study are expected to be effectively used to design a voice-based AI agent that considers the optimal voice according to the purpose of use.

PERCEIVED SOCIAL INFLUENCE IN MENTAL HEALTH: THE PROFESSIONALS' PERSPECTIVE

The response to a national survey of mental health professionals, 25 clinical psychologists, 36 counseling psychologists, 20 psychiatrists, and 21 social workers (N=102) rated their own and each of the other groups along the Counselor Rating Form (Barak & Lacrosse, 1977). Results indicated that counseling psychologists and social workers were viewed as more attractive but less expert than clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, and that clinical psychologists, counseling psychologists, and social workers were viewed as more trustworthy than psychiatrists. Interactions along each of the three variables, however, qualified the findings. For instance, in no case did any professional group rate another as significantly more attractive, trustworthy or expert than itself, suggesting the operation of an ingroup-outgroup bias.

Preexisting Differences in Evaluations of Counselors

To assess whether there are different stereotypes for male and female therapists held by male and female perceivers and to examine ceiling effects on the short Counselor Rating Form 308 undergraduate students evaluated a male or female “psychologist who provides therapy.” Differences were found in attractiveness by therapists' sex and raters' familiarity with therapy. Subjects' sex and familiarity also affected ratings of expertness and trustworthiness. No interactions were found. High means indicated a ceiling effect.

Counselling effectiveness of guidance officers in Queensland State high schools

The counselling effectiveness of guidance officers (GOs) was examined in a study involving 21 State secondary schools in Queensland. Students from Year 8 to Year 12 from each school were asked to rate the level of satisfaction with a counselling session. This was measured by the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) developed by Larsen, Attkisson, Hargreaves and Nguyen (1979). Based on Strong's (1968) Social Influence model, counselling was assumed to be an interpersonal influence process. Therefore these students also rated their perceptions of a GO's counselling attributes on the Counselor Rating Form – Short Version (CRF-S; Corrigan & Schmidt, 1983). Results indicated that ratings on the 12 CRF-S items as a total as well as a number of individual items significantly predicted CSQ scores. Student ratings on both questionnaires were high and possible explanations are considered. Also, several GO and student variables (e.g. sex of student, willingness, year level) were found to significantly predict satisfaction. Additionally, a number of these GO and student variables (e.g. GO and sex of student, willingness, the number of counselling sessions) were also found to differentially affect students' perceptions of GOs' counselling attributes.

Perceptions of Teacher Characteristics and Student Judgments of Teacher Effectiveness

This study examined the relationship between perceived teacher attractiveness, expertness, and trustworthiness and student judgment of teacher effectiveness. Three teachers who taught both an introductory and an advanced psychology course participated in the study. Students completed the Counselor Rating Form–Short version (CRF–S) and rated the teacher on effectiveness. Results indicated that each of the subscales of the CRF–S was positively related to perceived teacher effectiveness. The results also suggested that it may be useful to conceptualize teaching as a social influence process. Factors extensively researched by social and counseling psychologists may be important in understanding the classroom situation.

The Counseling Evaluation Inventory and the Counselor Rating Form: Their Relationship to Perceived Improvement and to Each Other

Although the Counseling Evaluation Inventory and the Counselor Rating Form are frequently used among researchers studying clients' perceptions in counseling-therapy, few data are available on the relationship of these measures to outcome with real-life clients and on their relationship one to another. 49 clients of a university consultation center serving a broad community were seen by 25 practicum therapists for an average of 20 sessions. Clients completed both measures and a 21-item improvement measure at the conclusion of therapy. All test dimensions showed significant positive association with perceived improvement; therapeutic climate and perceived trustworthiness and expertness yielded the highest correlations. Among treatment variables examined, number of sessions correlated significantly with perceived improvement but not with test dimensions. Clients' and therapists' ratings of improvement were compared and indicated significant moderate agreement. Intrascale correlations indicated all dimensions of each measure were significantly interrelated. In general, the Counselor Rating Form variables were more highly interrelated than variables of the Counseling Evaluation Inventory. Interscale correlations indicate some interdependence of variables on the tests particularly with regard to perceived expertness, satisfaction, climate, and trustworthiness. Further study of common dimensions underlying the two scales seems warranted.