Emotion as an Argumentation Engine: Modeling the Role of Emotion in Negotiation

The purpose of this paper is to present a model of emotion in negotiation, which reflects the active role emotions play in decision taking as modifiers of theory-of-mind models, goals and strategies. The model is based on empirical studies of human interaction in different activities such as plea bargains, simulated negotiations, doctor patient consultations, and virtual human–human interactions. We use empathy as an example of emotion, which has a natural and powerful function in the shaping and re-contextualization of decision processes. We study also the linguistic realization of emotions as forms of argumentation in authentic discourse.