Ke Jia, Xiuli Liu^*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.25, No.12, pp. 1265-1285, 2023, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2023.043430

Abstract Empathy is a complex emotional phenomenon that plays a crucial role in promoting cooperation and social cohesion within human society. However, there is ongoing debate regarding the mechanisms that underlie the generation of empathy. While the importance of biological emotional resonance in empathy is widely recognized, the influence of cognitive regulation on empathetic responses cannot be disregarded. This article seeks to review the agents and strategies involved in regulating empathy to construct a dynamic model depicting the process. The model highlights that the impact of specific goals on empathy regulation is not definitive; rather, it depends on an individual’s interpretation… More >

Sung Park^1,*, Seongeon Park², Mincheol Whang²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.71, No.2, pp. 3761-3784, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2022.023738

Abstract Artificial entities, such as virtual agents, have become more pervasive. Their long-term presence among humans requires the virtual agent's ability to express appropriate emotions to elicit the necessary empathy from the users. Affective empathy involves behavioral mimicry, a synchronized co-movement between dyadic pairs. However, the characteristics of such synchrony between humans and virtual agents remain unclear in empathic interactions. Our study evaluates the participant's behavioral synchronization when a virtual agent exhibits an emotional expression congruent with the emotional context through facial expressions, behavioral gestures, and voice. Participants viewed an emotion-eliciting video stimulus (negative or positive) with a virtual agent. The… More >