In-Lab Teen–Chatbot Conversations: Relational vs Transparent Styles and Social Stress
In-progress
This in-lab study brings adolescents into conversation with a chatbot under controlled conditions to examine how conversational style affects their social and emotional experience.
Research question
When a chatbot adopts a relational style (warm, personal, human-like) versus a transparent style (openly signaling that it is an AI), how do teens’ stress responses, trust, and sense of connection differ — especially during socially stressful moments?
Approach
Adolescents complete a structured interaction with a chatbot while we collect self-report and physiological measures of stress and engagement. Comparing the two styles isolates the effect of relational framing on how teens cope with social stress.
Why it matters
Many AI companions are deliberately designed to feel like friends. This study helps clarify when that relational design supports teens — and when transparency about the AI’s nature may better protect their wellbeing.