  Prutko-Izmalkova-vestnik-pip-2026-1-ru.pdf |
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- Emotional effects in digital communication: affect in dialog with a chatbot
- Prutko G.V., Izmalkova A.I. Emotional effects in digital communication: affect in chatbot dialogue communication. Vestnik of Kostroma State University. Series: Pedagogy. Psychology. Sociokinetics, 2026, vol. 32, no. 1, рр. 166-175. https://doi.org/10.34216/2073-1426-2026-32-1-166-175
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.34216/2073-1426-2026-32-1-166-175
- УДК: 159.9:004.8
- EDN: YYACAV
- Publish date: 2025-12-25
- Annotation: This article addresses the problem of studying affective states arising during digital communication with artificial agents and the development of a valid experimental methodology for their investigation. A novel experimental paradigm utilising a chatbot was developed and tested. The methodology combined an analysis of immediate responses (using the Self-Assessment Manikin, SAM) to individual conversational prompts with an assessment of sustained changes in affective state (using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, PANAS) following the completion of task blocks of varying emotional valence (negative/positive). The influence of the language of communication (Russian/English) and objective parameters of participants' textual activity were additionally analysed. It was established that tasks of different valence elicit replicable differences in affective responses: at the level of individual dialogues in SAM ratings, and at the block level in indicators of negative affect according to PANAS. The language of communication did not exert a significant influence on these effects, attesting to their stability. The comparability of textual activity across experimental conditions confirms that the identified differences are specifically related to the emotional focus of the tasks. The results validate the use of chatbots as a tool for the experimental study of affect in digital communication and outline prospects for further research in this field.
- Keywords: affect, digital communication, chatbot, experimental paradigm, emotional valence, Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), language of communication, dialogical analysis.
- Funding and acknowledgments: This work was carried out with financial support The study was conducted within the framework of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation “Integral assessment of cognitive and emotional resources of participants in internet communication in their native and foreign languages,” registration number of the Research and Development Project (НИОКТР) Project no. 125090210031-6.
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