Leiden University Student Repository

Zalm, Gaby (2026)

In gesprek met je toekomstige zelf: hoe gesprekken met een conversational agent de toekomstige zelfidentificatie kan vergroten: Een studie naar het verband tussen gebruikersvragen en -antwoorden en de verandering in de toekomstige Zelfidentificatie

Master thesis | Education and Child Studies (MSc)

More attention needs to be paid to how young adults think about their future, due to the connections with long-term social and health behaviors (Finlay et al., 2014). This mixed-methods study integrates quantitative and qualitative data to explore the types of user questions and responses participants give and receive during an interaction with a conversational agent representing themselves ten years in the future, and how these relate to the degree of future self-identification. Within the current study, a relationship is hypothesized between participants' question and answer profiles and the degree to which they identify with their future self. During the study, participants (N = 196; ages 18 to 25 years) engaged in a conversation with the conversational agent, which was developed to encourage self-reflection and future-oriented thinking in young adults. For the qualitative analysis, conversations from a random sample of 39 participants were coded. The results show a moderate to...Show moreMore attention needs to be paid to how young adults think about their future, due to the connections with long-term social and health behaviors (Finlay et al., 2014). This mixed-methods study integrates quantitative and qualitative data to explore the types of user questions and responses participants give and receive during an interaction with a conversational agent representing themselves ten years in the future, and how these relate to the degree of future self-identification. Within the current study, a relationship is hypothesized between participants' question and answer profiles and the degree to which they identify with their future self. During the study, participants (N = 196; ages 18 to 25 years) engaged in a conversation with the conversational agent, which was developed to encourage self-reflection and future-oriented thinking in young adults. For the qualitative analysis, conversations from a random sample of 39 participants were coded. The results show a moderate to large positive effect of the interaction with the conversational agent on Vividness, Valence and Connectedness, the three aspects of future self-identification. The increases in Valence and Connectedness are particularly promising. Although the increase in Vividness is modest, it indicates that participants were able to envision their future selves more clearly and in greater detail after interacting with the conversational agent compared to before. An uneven distribution of clusters with identical user questions and responses prevented the identification of any significant differences. However, it was found that participants mainly asked exploratory and advice-seeking questions and gave reflective or exploratory answers. The positive effects on all three aspects highlight the potential of the conversational agent.Show less

Conversational agent

young adults

future self-identification

user questions and answers

qualitatively

Author

Zalm, Gaby

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Orthopedagogiek

Supervisors

Jean-Louis van Gelder

ECTS Credits

20

Language

nl