Autonomous Agent that Provides Automated Feedback Improves Negotiation Skills
Research has found that individuals can improve their negotiation abilities by practicing with virtual agents [1, 2] For these pedagogical agents to become more "intelligent," the system should be able to give feedback on negotiation performance [3, 4] In this study, we examined the impact of providing such individualized feedback. Participants first engaged in a negotiation with a virtual agent. After this negotiation, participants were either given automated individualized feedback or not. Feedback was based on negotiation principles [4] which were quantified using a validated approach [5] Participants then completed a second, parallel negotiation. Our results show that, compared to the control condition, participants who received such feedback after the first negotiation showed a significantly greater improvement in the strength of their first offer, concession curve, and thus their final outcome in the negotiation.
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