Does Social Presence Increase Perceived Competence?

Conversational agents (CA) have drawn increasing interest from HCI research. They have become popular in different aspects of our lives, for example, in the form of chatbots as the primary point of contact when interacting with an insurance company online. Additionally, CA find their way into collaborative settings in education, at work, or financial advisory. Researchers and practitioners are searching for ways to enhance the customer's experience in service encounters by deploying CA. Since competence is an important treat of a financial advisor, they only accept CA in their interaction with clients if it does not harm their impression on the client. However, we do not know how the social presence of the CA affects this perceived competence. We explore this by evaluating three prototypes with different social presences. For this, we conducted a video-based online survey. In contrast to prior studies focusing on single human-computer interaction, our study explores CA in a dyadic setting of two humans and one CA. First, our results support the Computers-Are-Social-Actors paradigm as the CA with a strong social presence was perceived as more competent than the other two designs. Second, our data show a positive correlation between CA's and advisor's competence. This implies a positive impact of the CA on the service encounter as the CA and advisor can be seen as a competent team.

The Feasibility and Challenges of Conducting Online Research to Examine Movement Behavior in Parents and Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The global pandemic of COVID-19 shifted the methodology of this research project. The purpose of this perspective article is to discuss the feasibility and challenges of converting an in-person mixed methods study that examined associations among and beliefs about physical activity, motor competence, and perceived competence to an online format with parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recruitment was conducted through a University research registry, social media, and public listservs. All correspondence with participants was through email and secure platforms. Physical activity was assessed with accelerometers mailed to participants. Motor competence was assessed through participant-filmed trials of motor skills. Perceived competence was assessed with the Self-Perception Profile for Adults and Children delivered on Qualtrics. Semi- structured interviews to examine beliefs were conducted over Zoom. Approximately 200 families expressed interest in the study, 76 parent-child dyads consented and assented, and 61 parent-child dyads completed at least one component of the study. It is feasible to conduct online research that contributes to scientific knowledge and has potential advantages. However, various challenges need to be considered regarding the application of online research. These challenges included recruitment, the data collection process, and data quality. Future research needs to address these challenges by utilizing wide-reaching and diverse recruitment methods, easing participants' burden with technology, and developing motor competence and perceived competence assessments that can be administered online. The way research was conducted changed due to COVID-19 and adapting to and/or integrating online methods is both necessary and feasible, but modifications must be taken into consideration.

A focus on the future of opioid prescribing: implementation of a virtual opioid and pain management module for medical students

Background The United States opioid epidemic is a devastating public health crisis fueled in part by physician prescribing. While the next generation of prescribers is crucial to the trajectory of the epidemic, medical school curricula designated to prepare students for opioid prescribing (OP) and pain management is often underdeveloped. In response to this deficit, we aimed to investigate the impact of an online opioid and pain management (OPM) educational intervention on fourth-year medical student knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competence. Methods Graduating students completing their final year of medical education at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University were sent an e-mail invitation to complete a virtual OPM module. The module consisted of eight interactive patient cases that introduced topics through a case-based learning system, challenging students to make decisions and answer knowledge questions about the patient care process. An identical pre- and posttest were built into the module to measure general and case-specific learning objectives, with responses subsequently analyzed using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. Results Forty-three students (19% response rate) completed the module. All median posttest responses ranked significantly higher than paired median pretest responses (p < 0.05). Comparing the paired overall student baseline score to module completion, median posttest ranks (Mdn = 206, IQR = 25) were significantly higher than median pretest ranks (Mdn = 150, IQR = 24) (p < 0.001). Regarding paired median Perceived Competence Scale metrics specifically, perceived student confidence, capability, and ability in opioid management increased from “disagree” (2) to “agree” (4) (p < 0.001), and student ability to meet the challenge of opioid management increased from “neither agree nor disagree” (3) to “agree” (4) (p < 0.001). Additionally, while 77% of students reported receiving OP training in medical school, 21% reported no history of prior training. Conclusion Implementation of a virtual, interactive module with clinical context is an effective framework for improving the OPM knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competence of fourth-year medical students. This type of intervention may be an important method for standardizing and augmenting the education of future prescribers across multiple institutions.

Character Customization With Cosmetic Microtransactions in Games: Subjective Experience and Objective Performance

Free games that are monetized by selling virtual items, such as cosmetic microtransactions for one’s avatar, seem to offer a better gaming experience to paying players. To experimentally explore this phenomenon, the effects of character customization with cosmetic microtransactions on objective and self-estimated player performance, subjective identification with the avatar, fun and the players’ perceived competence were examined in the game League of Legends. This study introduces a new laboratory-based, experimental task to objectively measure within-game player performance. Each participant performed this game-based task in two different conditions: With a character that was customized using a provided set of cosmetic microtransactions and with a default character. Results showed that customization increased subjective identification with the player character. However, objective performance measures were unaffected by this manipulation although the novel experimental approach provided reliable performance results. Additionally, identification was positively related to perceived competence, fun, and self-estimated performance. Implications for the design of cosmetic microtransactions and their influence on competitive gaming are discussed.

The Impact of Perceived Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives on Wetland Farming Communities in Indonesia

The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) literature has advanced beyond its long-standing emphasis on a firm's financial performance to include its social impact. However, it has fallen short of offering insight into how effective CSR is in the event of a disaster. This study investigated the community's perception of CSR in wetland farmers communities after flood disasters. Data were from 49 farmer groups in South Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. The research hypotheses were drawn: Perceived benefits of CSR initiatives affect farming community resilience, farming community wellbeing, and perceived competence of wetland farmers; Community resilience affects community wellbeing; Community wellbeing and community resilience affect perceived competence of farmers. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis showed that CSR initiatives positively affected community resilience and community wellbeing but had no effect on the perceived competence of farmers; Community resilience had a positive effect on community wellbeing. However, both community wellbeing and resilience did not affect perceived competence. This study sheds light on the complex link between the community and the individual. Triple bottom line and community psychology theories were applied, and this study contributes to the social impact of CSR by focusing on both community and individual, especially in the face of natural disasters in wetlands.

Examining Students’ Perceived Competence, Gender, and Ethnicity in a Digital STEM Learning Game

The present study explores how gender, ethnicity, and performance-based perceived competence impact students’ learning, performance, and enjoyment from playing a digital STEM learning game. We had 199 9th-11th grade students play a 2D digital STEM learning game across six science classes. Based on the results of demographic surveys, matched pretests and posttests, and satisfaction questionnaires, we found no interaction between gender and ethnicity for performance-based perceived competence, performance, and enjoyment. We found a significant difference between males and females in performance-based perceived competence and in-game performance both favoring males over females. Among ethnic groups, we found a significant difference with in-game performance favoring White and Hispanic students over Black/African American students. However, the differences in gender and in ethnicity were insignificant once we controlled for both perceived competence and pretest scores. This supports the idea that neither race nor gender truly influence one’s ability to perform in digital learning games.

Connecting in-game performance, need satisfaction, and psychological well-being: A comparison of older and younger players in World of Tanks

The need satisfaction and psychological benefits derived from gameplay are generally understudied for older video game players. This study connects the Self-Determination Theory, Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development, and Socioemotional Selectivity Theory to understand players’ in-game behaviors and their corresponding need satisfaction from a developmental perspective. Survey data from 1213 randomly sampled World of Tanks players were combined with their behavioral data to investigate how players’ behaviors and their corresponding need satisfaction differ or converge across age. Age and in-game behaviors were tested as moderators for the relationship between perceived need satisfaction and psychological well-being. The results showed that despite underperforming and having fewer in-game connections, older players reported no significant difference in their perceived competence and relatedness than younger players. Perceived competence and relatedness contributed to psychological well-being for both older and younger players, although it carried more weight for the younger. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Assessment of Social Competence Perceived in Martial Arts and Tendency towards Sport Activities

Considering that the socially perceived competence in athletes shall continue not only the tendency to the sport activities but also the mutual effects of showing more effort and participation in sport activities, our aim is to assess the perceived competence and tendency towards sport activities in martial arts athletes.The study is composed total of 220 athletes, 92 males and 128 females, in the branches of Kickboxing, Taekwondo, and Boxing. In the research, in order to determine the “Tendency towards Sports Activities” and the “Perceive Social Competence” levels of the athletes are used. The analysis of the data is performed utilizing SPSS 22.0 package program. In group comparisons, the Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test are used. The analysis of the data is assessed at 95% confidence interval and p < 0.05 significance level.There are significant differences determined in perceived social competence, total score of tendency towards sports and emotion search sub dimension based on the genders of the athletes. Based on the branch variable of the athletes, in perceived social competence, general scale tendency towards sports, socializing sub dimension and emotion search sub dimension, significant differences are determined.As a result, it is concluded that they follow up-to-date sports regularly and this increases the social competence and sports tendency of the athletes; that Kickboxing athletes, the one who started the sport on their own will and male athletes have higher social competence and sport tendencies.

Motivation and Productivity of Employees in Higher Education during the First Lockdown

In a cross-sectional study among 623 employees of a higher education institution, we examined the relations between perceived competence, autonomy, relatedness, intrinsic motivation, and productivity during the first lockdown in the spring of 2020. The results indicate that, relative to the period before the lockdown, the employees experienced an increase in autonomy and competence, but a decrease in relatedness, intrinsic motivation, and productivity. Structural equation modelling revealed that the decrease in productivity can be explained by a decrease in intrinsic motivation, which in turn can be explained by changes in relatedness, autonomy, and perceived competence. Thus, during the lockdown, both positive and negative motivational consequences of teleworking were observed. However, the ultimate consequence for employees’ productivity was negative. An important difference between this study and previous studies on the topic of teleworking, is that the present examined the motivational process under extreme circumstances in which employees had to switch overnight form onsite to remote working.

The relationships among motivational climate, perceived competence, physical performance, and affects during physical education fitness testing lessons

Despite the prominence of fitness testing in school physical education (PE), there is a sparsity of research examining the antecedents of students’ affective experiences during fitness testing lessons. This study aimed to investigate the associations among task- and ego-involving motivational climates, perceived physical competence, physical performance, enjoyment, and anxiety during two different types of PE fitness testing lessons. Altogether, 645 Finnish students from Grade 5 (50% boys, Mage = 11.2, SD = 0.36) and Grade 8 (47% boys, Mage = 14.2, SD = 0.35) participated in two fitness testing lessons with different content (lesson 1: 20-meter shuttle run test and a test of flexibility; lesson 2: curl-ups, push-ups, 5-leaps, and a catching-throwing combination test). Students’ experiences were collected using short questionnaires immediately after the lessons. Structural equation modeling was applied to examine the direct and indirect associations among study variables. Results indicated that task-involving climate and perceived competence increased students’ enjoyment and decreased their anxiety levels whereas ego-involving climate had no effect on students’ enjoyment but increased their anxiety levels. In addition, students’ actual physical performance as a mediator between motivational climate and affects, or as a direct predictor of affects, was limited. Strategies advancing task-involving motivational climate and students’ perception of competence should be employed to increase enjoyment and decrease anxiety during PE fitness testing lessons.