An effective virtual agent can serve humans complete task-based work efficaciously and manage interpersonal relationships with humans judiciously. This article investigates the effectiveness of emotional intelligence (EI) of a virtual agent taking over the role of a virtual tour guide (VTGuide) in a desktop application when witnessing a personal conflict between a human user and two virtual agents participating in the tour (the human user was ignored by the agents). A within-subject experiment is conducted to verify the validity of EI. Participants rate VTGuides (with or without EI) on conflict handling and report their feelings during the interaction. In addition, objective behavioral data of users are recorded, including facial expressions and textual sentiment, to assess the perception of rapport. The results show that an emotionally intelligent VTGuide performs an agreeable behavior system (e.g., nodding, eye contact, friendly facial expressions), comforting verbal strategy (e.g., distracting attention, mediating between conflicting parties), and positive paralinguistic cues (e.g., smiling textual emojis). It can effectively mitigate intra-group conflicts and maintain interpersonal relationships. Thus, demonstrating a stronger sense of EI can better transmit engagement, interest, understanding, and emotional feedback in complex relationships.

中文翻译：

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处理群体冲突的情商虚拟导游：对用户结果的影响

有效的虚拟代理可以有效地为人类完成基于任务的工作，并明智地管理与人类的人际关系。本文研究了在目睹人类用户与参与旅游的两个虚拟代理之间的个人冲突时，虚拟代理在桌面应用程序中接管虚拟导游 (VTGuide) 角色的情商 (EI) 的有效性 (the人类用户被代理忽略了）。进行受试者内实验以验证EI的有效性。参与者在冲突处理方面对 VTGuides（有或没有 EI）进行评分，并报告他们在互动过程中的感受。此外，记录用户的客观行为数据，包括面部表情和文本情绪，以评估融洽的感知。结果表明，情商高的 VTGuide 会执行令人愉快的行为系统（例如，点头、目光接触、友好的面部表情）、令人欣慰的语言策略（例如，分散注意力、在冲突各方之间进行调解）和积极的副语言提示（例如，微笑的文本表情符号）。能有效缓和群体内部矛盾，维护人际关系。因此，表现出更强的 EI 感可以更好地传递复杂关系中的参与、兴趣、理解和情感反馈。能有效缓和群体内部矛盾，维护人际关系。因此，表现出更强的 EI 感可以更好地传递复杂关系中的参与、兴趣、理解和情感反馈。能有效缓和群体内部矛盾，维护人际关系。因此，表现出更强的 EI 感可以更好地传递复杂关系中的参与、兴趣、理解和情感反馈。