Learning from superheroes and AI: Researchers study how a chatbot can teach kids supportive self-talk

This research was funded by the Jacobs Foundation and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Researchers. The UW team published its findings in June at the 2023 Interaction Design and Children conference.

Learning from superheroes and AI: Researchers study how a chatbot can teach kids supportive self-talk

In Self-Talk with Superhero Zip, a chatbot guided pairs of siblings through lessons. The UW team found that, after speaking with the app for a week, most children could explain the concept of supportive self-talk (the things people say to themselves either audibly or mentally) and apply it in their daily lives. And kids who’d engaged in negative self-talk before the study were able to turn that habit positive. Positive self-talk has shown a range of benefits for kids, from improved sport performance to increased self-esteem and lower risk of depression.

Learning from superheroes and AI: Researchers study how a chatbot can teach kids supportive self-talk

The study just spanned one week and the tendency for survey participants to respond in ways that make them look good could lead kids to speak positively about the app’s effects. Future research may include longer studies in more natural settings. For a week, they opened the app and met an interactive narrator who told them stories about Zip and asked them to reflect on Zip’s encounters with other characters, including a supervillain. During and after the study, kids described applying positive self-talk; several mentioned using it when they were upset or angry. “Our goal is to make the app accessible to a wider audience in the future,” said lead author Chris (Yue) Fu, a UW doctoral student in the iSchool. “We’re exploring the integration of large language models — the systems that power tech like ChatGPT — into our prototype and we plan to work with content creators to adapt existing socioemotional learning materials into our system. The hope is that these will facilitate more prolonged and effective interventions.”

• The study just spanned one week and the tendency for survey participants to respond in ways that make them look good could lead kids to speak positively about the app’s effects.
• This research was funded by the Jacobs Foundation and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Researchers.
• “We’re exploring the integration of large language models — the systems that power tech like ChatGPT — into our prototype and we plan to work with content creators to adapt existing socioemotional learning materials into our system. The hope is that these will facilitate more prolonged and effective interventions.”
• Yet little research explores how chatbots can help kids effectively acquire socioemotional skills.

Learning from superheroes and AI: Researchers study how a chatbot can teach kids supportive self-talk

• During and after the study, kids described applying positive self-talk; several mentioned using it when they were upset or angry.
• Researchers at the University of Washington created a new web app aimed to help children develop skills like self-awareness and emotional management.
• The UW team published its findings in June at the 2023 Interaction Design and Children conference.
• “Our goal is to make the app accessible to a wider audience in the future,” said lead author Chris (Yue) Fu, a UW doctoral student in the iSchool.

The UW researchers began with two prototype ideas with the goal to teach socioemotional skills broadly. After testing, they narrowed the scope, focusing on a superhero named Zip and the aim of teaching supportive self-talk. They decided to test the app on siblings, since research shows that children are more engaged when they use technology with another person. Researchers at the University of Washington created a new web app aimed to help children develop skills like self-awareness and emotional management.

And previous studies have shown children can learn various tasks and abilities from chatbots. Yet little research explores how chatbots can help kids effectively acquire socioemotional skills. By the end of the study, all five kids who said they used negative self-talk before had replaced it with positive self-talk. Having the children work with their siblings supported learning in some cases, but some parents found the kids struggling to take turns while using the app.