Supplementing the Interference Preservation Hypothesis With Motivational Interviewing-Based Feedback in a Rural Military Veteran With Moral Injury: Formative Case Study
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Updated: Oct 31, 2026

Virtual Agent for Real-Time Motivational Interviewing by Integrating Adaptive Nonverbal Behavior and Language Models
Published on: December 23, 2025
Justin T McDaniel1, Jolie N Haun2,3, Jenna Jamieson1
1School of Human Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 475 Clocktower Drive, Carbondale, IL, 62901, United States, 1 6184531865.
Background:
Veterans experiencing moral injury (ie, having witnessed or done something during military service that conflicts with one's value system) may encounter challenges that affect engagement and learning in online contexts.
Objective:
This formative case study examined the feasibility of integrating motivational interviewing (MI)-based delayed feedback, a key tenet of the interference preservation hypothesis, into an online program focused on machine learning instruction for a veteran with self-reported probable moral injury.
Methods:
One veteran completed a moral injury assessment and 17 training modules with various checkpoint assessments, followed by a machine learning module incorporating a pretest, MI-based delayed feedback, and a posttest.
Results:
The participant completed all instructional and assessment components. Checkpoint scores ranged from 66.7% to 100%, with 7 of 10 checkpoints exhibiting a perfect score. Machine learning performance increased from 90% at pretest to 100% at posttest following MI-based delayed feedback.
Conclusions:
These findings demonstrate the feasibility of integrating MI-based delayed feedback within an online data science instruction program and provide formative evidence supporting evaluation in larger samples.
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