Virtual Intelligent Agents To Train Abilities Of Diagnosis.

ReaVirtual Intelligent Agents to Train Abilities of Diagnosis in Psychology and Psychiatry
José Gutiérrez-Maldonado1, , Ivan Alsina-Jurnet1, María Virginia Rangel-Gómez1, Angel Aguilar-Alonso1, Adolfo José Jarne-Esparcia1, Antonio Andrés-Pueyo1 and Antoni Talarn-Caparrós1,
1

Facultad de Psicología, Campus Vall d’Hebrón, Passeig de la Vall d’Hebrón, 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain{josegutierrezm, ivanalsina, mrangego7, aaguilarpsi, ajarne, andrespueyo, atalarn}@ub.edu

Abstract. The diagnostic interview in Mental Health Sciences involves a series of abilities that require sound training. This training should be provided under guidance from a professor in controlled settings that mimic real-life situations as closely as possible, but in the initial stages the interaction with realpatients should be avoided. Precisely, the objective of this study was to develop a system constructed with artificial intelligence and 3D design applications that creates an environment in which the trainee can interact with a group of simulated patients. These virtual patients are realistic objects that can interact in real-time with the user using a series of parameters that define their verbal,emotional and motor responses. From them the trainee must obtain the data needed to make an accurate diagnosis. The high level of flexibility and interactivity increases the trainees’ sensation of participating in the simulated situation, leading an improving of the learning of the skills required. Keywords: Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Training, Diagnostic Interview, Psychology,Psychiatry.

1 Introduction
From the development of the electronic methods of communication, healthcare professionals used the information and communication technologies (TIC's) in the field of the sanitary attention, thus for example the telegraph, the telephone, the radio, the television, etc. have been used by the medicine from the half XIXth Century. However, in the last years a great advance inthe development of the new technologies had been produced. These advances are changing the ways in which people relate, communicate, and live. Thus, technologies that were hardly used 10 years ago, such as the internet, e-mail or video teleconferencing, are becoming familiar methods for diagnosis, therapy, education and training. All this is leading to the appearance of a new field, the e-health,whose main objective is the use of the TIC's in order to improve all the processes related to the sanitary attention.

Recent advances in educational technology are offering an increasing number of innovative learning tools that are having a significant impact on the structure of healthcare professionals’ education in many ways. Among these Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)are getting higher importance in the educational ambit and professional training, nowadays. Virtual Reality integrates real-time computer graphics, body tracking devices, visual displays and other sensory inputs to immerse individuals in computergenerated virtual environments (1). From this definition it can be derived the two basic properties of a virtual reality system, these are: immersion andinteraction. The term immersion refers to the stimulation of the different sensorial channels of the user. This is usually achieved by means of visual, auditory or haptic devices. But virtual reality is also interactive, virtual reality not imply a passive visualization of a virtual world, the user can interact with it and, what is more important, the virtual world responds in real time to thoseactions. VR by means of their two basic properties creates an illusion in the user of being physically inside the virtual world. Precisely, this sense of presence can have positive effects on task performance (figure 1).

Figure 1. Properties of a Virtual Reality system

In the other hand, Artificial Intelligence permits the design of intelligent agents that can engage in a natural dialogue...