The Adaptation Paradox: Agency vs. Mimicry in Companion Chatbots
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866918141619077120 |
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| author | Brandt, T. James Wang, Cecilia Xi |
| author_facet | Brandt, T. James Wang, Cecilia Xi |
| contents | Generative AI powers a growing wave of companion chatbots, yet principles for fostering genuine connection remain unsettled. We test two routes: visible user authorship versus covert language-style mimicry. In a preregistered 3x2 experiment (N = 162), we manipulated user-controlled avatar generation (none, premade, user-generated) and Language Style Matching (LSM) (static vs. adaptive). Generating an avatar boosted rapport ($ω^2$ = .040, p = .013), whereas adaptive LSM underperformed static style on personalization and satisfaction (d = 0.35, p = .009) and was paradoxically judged less adaptive (t = 3.07, p = .003, d = 0.48). We term this an Adaptation Paradox: synchrony erodes connection when perceived as incoherent, destabilizing persona. To explain, we propose a stability-and-legibility account: visible authorship fosters natural interaction, while covert mimicry risks incoherence. Our findings suggest designers should prioritize legible, user-driven personalization and limit stylistic shifts rather than rely on opaque mimicry. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_12525 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The Adaptation Paradox: Agency vs. Mimicry in Companion Chatbots Brandt, T. James Wang, Cecilia Xi Human-Computer Interaction Computation and Language H.5.2; I.2.7 Generative AI powers a growing wave of companion chatbots, yet principles for fostering genuine connection remain unsettled. We test two routes: visible user authorship versus covert language-style mimicry. In a preregistered 3x2 experiment (N = 162), we manipulated user-controlled avatar generation (none, premade, user-generated) and Language Style Matching (LSM) (static vs. adaptive). Generating an avatar boosted rapport ($ω^2$ = .040, p = .013), whereas adaptive LSM underperformed static style on personalization and satisfaction (d = 0.35, p = .009) and was paradoxically judged less adaptive (t = 3.07, p = .003, d = 0.48). We term this an Adaptation Paradox: synchrony erodes connection when perceived as incoherent, destabilizing persona. To explain, we propose a stability-and-legibility account: visible authorship fosters natural interaction, while covert mimicry risks incoherence. Our findings suggest designers should prioritize legible, user-driven personalization and limit stylistic shifts rather than rely on opaque mimicry. |
| title | The Adaptation Paradox: Agency vs. Mimicry in Companion Chatbots |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction Computation and Language H.5.2; I.2.7 |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.12525 |