MIA

Since online discussion platforms can limit the perception of social cues, effective collaboration over videochat requires additional attention to conversational skills. However, self-affirmation and defensive bias theories indicate that feedback may appear confrontational, especially when users are not motivated to incorporate them. We develop a feedback chatbot that employs Motivational Interviewing (MI), a directive counseling method that encourages commitment to behavior change, with the end goal of improving the user's conversational skills. We conduct a within-subject study with 21 participants in 8 teams to evaluate our MI-agent 'MIA' and a non-MI-agent 'Roboto'. After interacting with an agent, participants are tasked with conversing over videochat to evaluate candidate résumés for a job circular. Our quantitative evaluation shows that the MI-agent effectively motivates users, improves their conversational skills, and is likable. Through a qualitative lens, we present the strategies and the cautions needed to fulfill individual and team goals during group discussions. Our findings reveal the potential of the MI technique to improve collaboration and provide examples of conversational tactics important for optimal discussion outcomes.

A Study on Gravity Perception, Causal Attributions and Risk Perception in the Work Accidents Victims Colleagues

The influence of causal explanations on the attitudes and behaviours of victims of work accidents is frequently testified. Studies highlight the reality of self-defensive bias, preserving the individual from the feelings of uncertainty and control loss. Focused on the colleagues of accident victims, this research, based on semi-structured interviews with 38 manual technical workers, showed that causal explanations refer mainly to bad luck or to the victims' errors, this result varying according to accident severity. Workers with the same occupation and the same status estimated the severity of their colleague's accident to be lower than that of other workers. Comparative optimism bias was observed for those who declare not to have modified their behaviours in the aftermath of the accident.