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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.16614 |
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| _version_ | 1866917350151815168 |
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| author | Kong, Dehui Feick, Martin Liu, Shi Maedche, Alexander |
| author_facet | Kong, Dehui Feick, Martin Liu, Shi Maedche, Alexander |
| contents | Cognitive empathy, the ability to understand others' perspectives, is essential for effective communication, reducing biases, and constructive negotiation. However, this skill is declining in a performance-driven society, which prioritizes efficiency over perspective-taking. Here, the training of cognitive empathy is challenging because it is a subtle, hard-to-perceive soft skill. To address this, we developed CoEmpaTeam, a VR-based system that enables users to train their cognitive empathy by using LLM-driven avatars with different personalities. Through dynamic role play, users actively engage in perspective-taking, experiencing situations through another person's eyes. CoEmpaTeam deploys three avatars who significantly differ in their personality, validated by a technical evaluation and an online experiment (n=90). Next, we evaluated the system through a lab experiment with 32 participants who performed three sessions across two weeks, followed by a one-week diary study. Our results showed a significant increase in cognitive empathy, which, according to participants, transferred into their real lives. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_16614 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | CoEmpaTeam: Enhancing Cognitive Empathy using LLM-based Avatars and Dynamic Role Play in Virtual Reality Kong, Dehui Feick, Martin Liu, Shi Maedche, Alexander Human-Computer Interaction Cognitive empathy, the ability to understand others' perspectives, is essential for effective communication, reducing biases, and constructive negotiation. However, this skill is declining in a performance-driven society, which prioritizes efficiency over perspective-taking. Here, the training of cognitive empathy is challenging because it is a subtle, hard-to-perceive soft skill. To address this, we developed CoEmpaTeam, a VR-based system that enables users to train their cognitive empathy by using LLM-driven avatars with different personalities. Through dynamic role play, users actively engage in perspective-taking, experiencing situations through another person's eyes. CoEmpaTeam deploys three avatars who significantly differ in their personality, validated by a technical evaluation and an online experiment (n=90). Next, we evaluated the system through a lab experiment with 32 participants who performed three sessions across two weeks, followed by a one-week diary study. Our results showed a significant increase in cognitive empathy, which, according to participants, transferred into their real lives. |
| title | CoEmpaTeam: Enhancing Cognitive Empathy using LLM-based Avatars and Dynamic Role Play in Virtual Reality |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.16614 |