The Effects of Pronoun Usage and Context on Human Psychological Consequences When Interacting With Conversational Agents
Yingli Zhang, Chunxi Huang, Hao Tan · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · 2025
Users increasingly expect conversational agents (CAs) to communicate effectively by adjusting language strategies to different contexts and providing personalized responses. Using a 2 (context: service vs. emergency) × 3 (second-person pronoun usage: informal “you,” formal “you,” vs. no pronoun) between-subjects design, this study investigated how second-person pronouns used by CAs influenced users’ perceptions through an online survey with 1242 valid responses. To facilitate the customized design of CAs, demographic factors (e.g., age, gender) are also considered. Results indicated that subtle shifts in pronoun usage triggered significant differences in psychological consequences, with both forms of “you” providing fewer benefits than omitting pronouns across contexts. Users in the emergency context exhibited lower purchase willingness than those in the service context. Age, gender, and education also significantly predicted users’ perceptions. Overall, the findings highlight the psychological impacts of second-person pronouns and inform the design of interaction strategies for CAs.