  Power dynamics in human-human communication can impact rapport-building and
learning gains, but little is known about how power impacts human-agent
communication. In this paper, we examine dominance behavior in utterances
between middle-school students and a teachable robot as they work through math
problems, as coded by Rogers and Farace's Relational Communication Control
Coding Scheme (RCCCS). We hypothesize that relatively dominant students will
show increased learning gains, as will students with greater dominance
agreement with the robot. We also hypothesize that gender could be an indicator
of difference in dominance behavior. We present a preliminary analysis of
dominance characteristics in some of the transactions between robot and
student. Ultimately, we hope to determine if manipulating the dominance
behavior of a learning robot could support learning.
