# Rehearsal: Simulating Conflict to Teach Conflict Resolution

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.12309 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.12309/

## Key facts

- Cited by 55 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 24 of its 100 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 21 Sep 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 24 of 24)

- [Language Models are Few-Shot Learners](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.14165/) (2020)
- [ReAct: Synergizing Reasoning and Acting in Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.03629/) (2022)
- [Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.03442/) (2023)
- [Man is to Computer Programmer as Woman is to Homemaker? Debiasing Word Embeddings](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1607.06520/) (2016)
- [Discovering Language Model Behaviors with Model-Written Evaluations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.09251/) (2022)
- [Out of One, Many: Using Language Models to Simulate Human Samples](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.06899/) (2022)
- [Social Simulacra: Creating Populated Prototypes for Social Computing Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.04024/) (2022)
- [AI Chains: Transparent and Controllable Human-AI Interaction by Chaining Large Language Model Prompts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.01691/) (2021)
- [From Pretraining Data to Language Models to Downstream Tasks: Tracking the Trails of Political Biases Leading to Unfair NLP Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.08283/) (2023)
- [Marked Personas: Using Natural Language Prompts to Measure Stereotypes in Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.18189/) (2023)
- [On Second Thought, Let's Not Think Step by Step! Bias and Toxicity in Zero-Shot Reasoning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.08061/) (2022)
- [Re3: Generating Longer Stories With Recursive Reprompting and Revision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.06774/) (2022)
- [SwiftSage: A Generative Agent with Fast and Slow Thinking for Complex Interactive Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.17390/) (2023)
- [Conversations Gone Awry: Detecting Early Signs of Conversational Failure](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.05345/) (2018)
- [Human-AI Collaboration Enables More Empathic Conversations in Text-based Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Support](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.15144/) (2022)
- [Strategic Reasoning with Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.19165/) (2023)
- [How to Prompt? Opportunities and Challenges of Zero- and Few-Shot Learning for Human-AI Interaction in Creative Applications of Generative Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.01390/) (2022)
- [Helping the Helper: Supporting Peer Counselors via AI-Empowered Practice and Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.08982/) (2023)
- [Shaping the Emerging Norms of Using Large Language Models in Social Computing Research](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.04280/) (2023)
- [What Makes Online Communities 'Better'? Measuring Values, Consensus, and Conflict across Thousands of Subreddits](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.05835/) (2021)
- [Thread With Caution: Proactively Helping Users Assess and Deescalate Tension in Their Online Discussions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.01401/) (2022)
- [DOC: Improving Long Story Coherence With Detailed Outline Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.10077/) (2022)
- [Measuring the Prevalence of Anti-Social Behavior in Online Communities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.13094/) (2022)
- [My Team Will Go On: Differentiating High and Low Viability Teams through Team Interaction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.07292/) (2020)

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 55)

- [Large Language Models Empowered Agent-based Modeling and Simulation: A Survey and Perspectives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.11970/) (2023)
- [Hello Again! LLM-powered Personalized Agent for Long-term Dialogue](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.05925/) (2024)
- [MetaAgents: Large Language Model Based Agents for Decision-Making on Teaming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.06500/) (2023)
- [Can Large Language Model Agents Simulate Human Trust Behavior?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.04559/) (2024)
- [Generative Students: Using LLM-Simulated Student Profiles to Support Question Item Evaluation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.11591/) (2024)
- [Large Language Models Assume People are More Rational than We Really are](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.17055/) (2024)
- [Grounding Gaps in Language Model Generations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.09144/) (2023)
- [TeachTune: Reviewing Pedagogical Agents Against Diverse Student Profiles with Simulated Students](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.04078/) (2024)
- [On Benchmarking Human-Like Intelligence in Machines](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.20502/) (2025)
- [CulturePark: Boosting Cross-cultural Understanding in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.15145/) (2024)
- [Sentient Agent as a Judge: Evaluating Higher-Order Social Cognition in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.02847/) (2025)
- [Position: Towards Bidirectional Human-AI Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.09264/) (2024)
- [Psychometric Alignment: Capturing Human Knowledge Distributions via Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.15645/) (2024)
- [BoxingGym: Benchmarking Progress in Automated Experimental Design and Model Discovery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.01540/) (2025)
- [Understanding the LLM-ification of CHI: Unpacking the Impact of LLMs at CHI through a Systematic Literature Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.12557/) (2025)
- [Social World Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.00559/) (2025)
- [Social Skill Training with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.04204/) (2024)
- [Scaffolding Empathy: Training Counselors with Simulated Patients and Utterance-level Performance Visualizations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.18673/) (2025)
- [A Survey on Human-Centric LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.14491/) (2024)
- [HEART: A Unified Benchmark for Assessing Humans and LLMs in Emotional Support Dialogue](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.19922/) (2026)
- [IMBUE: Improving Interpersonal Effectiveness through Simulation and Just-in-time Feedback with Human-Language Model Interaction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.12556/) (2024)
- [Evaluating and Optimizing Educational Content with Large Language Model Judgments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.02795/) (2024)
- [AI on My Shoulder: Supporting Emotional Labor in Front-Office Roles with an LLM-based Empathetic Coworker](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.02408/) (2024)
- [AcuRank: Uncertainty-Aware Adaptive Computation for Listwise Reranking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.18512/) (2025)
- [Imagining a Future of Designing with AI: Dynamic Grounding, Constructive Negotiation, and Sustainable Motivation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.07342/) (2024)
- [DiLLS: Interactive Diagnosis of LLM-based Multi-agent Systems via Layered Summary of Agent Behaviors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.05446/) (2026)
- [DesignWeaver: Dimensional Scaffolding for Text-to-Image Product Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.09867/) (2025)
- [How Managers Perceive AI-Assisted Conversational Training for Workplace Communication](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.14452/) (2025)
- [Automatically Generating Numerous Context-Driven SFT Data for LLMs across Diverse Granularity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.16579/) (2024)
- [Social Life Simulation for Non-Cognitive Skills Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.00273/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Interpersonal conflict is an uncomfortable but unavoidable fact of life. Navigating conflict successfully is a skill -- one that can be learned through deliberate practice -- but few have access to effective training or feedback. To expand this access, we introduce Rehearsal, a system that allows users to rehearse conflicts with a believable simulated interlocutor, explore counterfactual "what if?" scenarios to identify alternative conversational paths, and learn through feedback on how and when to apply specific conflict strategies. Users can utilize Rehearsal to practice handling a variety of predefined conflict scenarios, from office disputes to relationship issues, or they can choose to create their own setting. To enable Rehearsal, we develop IRP prompting, a method of conditioning output of a large language model on the influential Interest-Rights-Power (IRP) theory from conflict resolution. Rehearsal uses IRP to generate utterances grounded in conflict resolution theory, guiding users towards counterfactual conflict resolution strategies that help de-escalate difficult conversations. In a between-subjects evaluation, 40 participants engaged in an actual conflict with a confederate after training. Compared to a control group with lecture material covering the same IRP theory, participants with simulated training from Rehearsal significantly improved their performance in the unaided conflict: they reduced their use of escalating competitive strategies by an average of 67%, while doubling their use of cooperative strategies. Overall, Rehearsal highlights the potential effectiveness of language models as tools for learning and practicing interpersonal skills.