The Use of Robots in the Workplace: Conclusions from a Health Promoting Intervention Using Social Robots.

Workplace wellness programs constitute a preventive measure to help avoid healthcare costs for companies, with additional benefits for employee productivity and other organizational outcomes. Interventions using social robots may have some advantages over other conventional telemedicine applications, since they can deliver personalized feedback and counseling. This investigation focused on a health-promoting intervention within work environments, and compared the efficacy of the intervention on two distinct groups, one guided by a human agent and the other by a robot agent. Participants (n = 56) were recruited from two Portuguese organizations and led through eight sessions by the social agent, the goal being to encourage health behavior change and adoption of a healthier lifestyle. The results indicate that the group led by the robot agent revealed better post-intervention scores than the group led by the human agent, specifically with regard to productivity despite presenteeism and regard of their level of mental well-being. No effects were found concerning the work engagement level of participants in either group. By demonstrating the potential of using social robots to establish therapeutic and worth relationships with employees in their workplaces, this study provides interesting new findings that contribute to the literature on health behavior change and human-robot interaction.

Self-Regulated Learning and Working Memory Determine Problem-Solving Accuracy in Math.

This study aims to understand the role of self-regulated learning (SRL) and its different processes in the relationship between working memory (WM) and problem-solving accuracy in math in primary school children. A sample of 269 primary school children (Mage = 8.84, SD = 0.81, 58% boys) participated in this study. Tasks were used as intervention resources to assess children's WM (i.e., reading and computation span tasks), SRL (i.e., a digital game), and performance (i.e., the performance in the game, as well as a traditional math problem). Through structural equation modeling, results revealed that WM predicted children's SRL and their problem-solving accuracy in math, such that those with higher capability for temporary storage attained better accuracy. Accordingly, children's SRL explained the relationship between WM capacity and problem-solving accuracy in math; such that the indirect effect of WM capacity through SRL was lower on problem-solving accuracy in math. Results indicated that the planning phase was a greater indicator of students' SRL in problem-solving accuracy in math. These results highlight the importance of SRL competencies in explaining children's performance in problem-solving in math.

Serious Game-based Psychosocial Intervention to Foster Prosociality in Cyberbullying Bystanders

Bystanders of cyberbullying play an important role in the resolution of such situations and therefore, it is beneficial to promote self-regulation strategies that enable them to engage in prosocial behavior in these contexts. We propose that serious game-based psychosocial interventions with profile-based social agents can encourage prosocial bystander behavior in cyberbullying. A pilot quasi-experimental study with repeated and pre/post measurements was performed. We randomly assigned 194 7th and 8th graders to three conditions, namely experimental condition (n = 103, Mage = 13.91, SD = 1.02, 53.3% male); alternative condition (n = 37, Mage = 14, SD = 0.86, 54.1% female) and control condition (n = 54, Mage = 13.92, SD = 0.85, 50.9% female). An analysis of covariance showed that players revealed higher levels of prosocial assertive behavior when compared to other participants. Through multilevel modelling of longitudinal log-file data, we found that those who did not experience the game tended to interpret the cyberbullying situations more as non-serious, avoid assuming responsibility for intervening, and engage in aggressive behavior toward the victim. Players tended to support more and were less aggressive with victims from their in-group than those from the out-group. Insights for the development of games to promote prosocial behavior in bystanders of cyberbullying are presented. (AU)

Los testigos del ciberacoso juegan un importante papel en la resolución de dichas situaciones, lo que es útil para proponer estrategias de autorregulación que les permitan implicarse en comportamientos prosociales en estos contextos. Proponemos que las intervenciones que se sirven de juegos serios con agentes sociales basados en perfiles pueden potenciar el comportamiento prosocial de los testigos de ciberacoso. Se llevó a cabo un estudio piloto cuasiexperimental de medidas repetidas pre/post. Se asignó a 194 alumnos de 7º y 8º a tres condiciones, condición experimental (n = 103, Medad = 13.91, SD = 1.02, 53.3% varones), condición alternativa (n = 37, Medad = 14, SD = 0.86, 54.1% mujeres) y condición control (n = 54, Medad = 13.92, SD = 0.85, 50.9% mujeres). En el análisis de covarianza los jugadores tenían un mayor nivel de comportamiento prosocial asertivo en comparación con otros participantes. En un modelado multinivel de datos longitudinales de archivo quienes no tenían experiencia en el juego tendían a interpretar más las situaciones de ciberacoso como no serias, a evitar asumir la responsabilidad de intervenir y a participar en comportamiento agresivo hacia la víctima. Los jugadores tendían a dar más apoyo y eran menos agresivos con las víctimas de su grupo que con las de otro grupo. Se presentan ideas sobre el desarrollo de juegos que potencien el comportamiento prosocial en testigos de ciberacoso. (AU)

Serious Game-based Psychosocial Intervention to Foster Prosociality in Cyberbullying Bystanders.

Bystanders of cyberbullying play an important role in the resolution of such situations and therefore, it is beneficial to promote self-regulation strategies that enable them to engage in prosocial behavior in these contexts. We propose that serious game-based psychosocial interventions with profile-based social agents can encourage prosocial bystander behavior in cyberbullying. A pilot quasi-experimental study with repeated and pre/post measurements was performed. We randomly assigned 194 7th and 8th graders to three conditions, namely experimental condition (n = 103, Mage = 13.91, SD = 1.02, 53.3% male); alternative condition (n = 37, Mage = 14, SD = 0.86, 54.1% female) and control condition (n = 54, Mage = 13.92, SD = 0.85, 50.9% female). An analysis of covariance showed that players revealed higher levels of prosocial assertive behavior when compared to other participants. Through multilevel modelling of longitudinal log-file data, we found that those who did not experience the game tended to interpret the cyberbullying situations more as non-serious, avoid assuming responsibility for intervening, and engage in aggressive behavior toward the victim. Players tended to support more and were less aggressive with victims from their in-group than those from the out-group. Insights for the development of games to promote prosocial behavior in bystanders of cyberbullying are presented.

Los testigos del ciberacoso juegan un importante papel en la resolución de dichas situaciones, lo que es útil para proponer estrategias de autorregulación que les permitan implicarse en comportamientos prosociales en estos contextos. Proponemos que las intervenciones que se sirven de juegos serios con agentes sociales basados en perfiles pueden potenciar el comportamiento prosocial de los testigos de ciberacoso. Se llevó a cabo un estudio piloto cuasiexperimental de medidas repetidas pre/post. Se asignó a 194 alumnos de 7º y 8º a tres condiciones, condición experimental (n = 103, Medad = 13.91, SD = 1.02, 53.3% varones), condición alternativa (n = 37, Medad = 14, SD = 0.86, 54.1% mujeres) y condición control (n = 54, Medad = 13.92, SD = 0.85, 50.9% mujeres). En el análisis de covarianza los jugadores tenían un mayor nivel de comportamiento prosocial asertivo en comparación con otros participantes. En un modelado multinivel de datos longitudinales de archivo quienes no tenían experiencia en el juego tendían a interpretar más las situaciones de ciberacoso como no serias, a evitar asumir la responsabilidad de intervenir y a participar en comportamiento agresivo hacia la víctima. Los jugadores tendían a dar más apoyo y eran menos agresivos con las víctimas de su grupo que con las de otro grupo. Se presentan ideas sobre el desarrollo de juegos que potencien el comportamiento prosocial en testigos de ciberacoso.

Self-Regulated Learning and Working Memory Determine Problem-Solving Accuracy in Math

This study aims to understand the role of self-regulated learning (SRL) and its different processes in the relationship between working memory (WM) and problem-solving accuracy in math in primary school children. A sample of 269 primary school children (Mage = 8.84, SD = 0.81, 58% boys) participated in this study. Tasks were used as intervention resources to assess children’s WM (i.e., reading and computation span tasks), SRL (i.e., a digital game), and performance (i.e., the performance in the game, as well as a traditional math problem). Through structural equation modeling, results revealed that WM predicted children’s SRL and their problem-solving accuracy in math, such that those with higher capability for temporary storage attained better accuracy. Accordingly, children’s SRL explained the relationship between WM capacity and problem-solving accuracy in math; such that the indirect effect of WM capacity through SRL was lower on problem-solving accuracy in math. Results indicated that the planning phase was a greater indicator of students’ SRL in problem-solving accuracy in math. These results highlight the importance of SRL competencies in explaining children’s performance in problem-solving in math. (AU)

Developing Children's Regulation of Learning in Problem-Solving With a Serious Game.

To support learning in problem solving in math, we created Festarola, a digital serious game where players are part of a team that organizes a party for a group of guests. The game's main objective is to develop problem-solving strategies in students and foster self- and shared regulated learning. The game is designed according to the four phases of problem solving, which are in accordance with the self-regulation phases, namely, understanding the problem (forethought), elaborating a plan (strategic planning), executing the plan (performance), and reflecting on the results (self-reflection). A user study was conducted with 363 primary school students to measure the impact of the game. Throughout several sessions, the children interacted with different sections of the game both individually and in a group. The positive results indicate that the game successfully stimulates and develops problem-solving strategies, as well as self- and shared regulation strategies.