Characterize habituation to persona-based challenge

Characterize whether and how quickly users habituate to persona-based challenges in multi-persona interfaces, and identify design features that sustain genuine opposition during repeated use.

Background

The paper notes that multi-persona interfaces are intended to generate productive friction by presenting users with distinct and potentially disagreeing perspectives. However, users may gradually learn to anticipate and discount a persona’s contributions, reducing the intervention’s ability to challenge assumptions or prevent conformity.

Unlike multiplayer games, where role credibility is reinforced by real consequences for failure, AI-generated personas have no independent real-world consequences. The authors therefore identify sustained opposition across repeated interactions as an unresolved empirical issue requiring longitudinal investigation.