Politeness in Human–Robot Interaction: A Multi-Experiment Study with Non-Humanoid Robots

Abstract

We studied politeness in human–robot interaction based on Lakoff’s politeness theory. In a series of eight studies, we manipulated three different levels of politeness of non-humanoid robots and evaluated their effects. A table-setting task was developed for two different types of robots (a robotic manipulator and a mobile robot). The studies included two different populations (old and young adults) and were conducted in two conditions (video and live). Results revealed that polite robot behavior positively affected users' perceptions of the interaction with the robots and that participants were able to differentiate between the designed politeness levels. Participants reported higher levels of enjoyment, satisfaction, and trust when they interacted with the politest behavior of the robot. A smaller number of young adults trusted the politest behavior of the robot compared to old adults. Enjoyment and trust of the interaction with the robot were higher when study participants were subjected to the live condition compared to video and participants were more satisfied when they interacted with a mobile robot compared to a manipulator.

We Do Not Anthropomorphize a Robot Based Only on Its Cover: Context Matters too!

“…Moreover, exposure to robots is sometimes done with images or videos, rather than in vivo exposure. Yet, the physical presence of a robot (NURSEBOT) increases the tendency for anthropomorphism more than a projection of a robot on a screen [74] and is considered more trustworthy [94]. Another study states that a physically embodied robot (AIBO) is evaluated more positively when participants can touch the robot.…”

“…The robot's verbal behaviors are of key importance in the interaction (especially when the robot shows collaborative behavior in the conversation with the user). Individuals feel more satisfaction and trust toward a robot with polite behavior [94], and a friendly robot is more appreciated than a robot with unfriendly behavior [36]. The level of interactivity in the conversation is a relevant factor: A robot with highly interactive behavior (enabling sophisticated communication with the participant) is judged more sociable and competent than a robot with lesser communication skills [90].…”

“…When comparing adults of different ages, we notice that they also perceive robots differently: Older adults (more than 60 y.o.) trust a robot more than younger adults (when the robot is polite) [94], judge them as more useful than younger individuals, but also express more anxiety toward them [158]. These age-related differences could be due once again to experience with technology: Young adults, having more experience with robots in daily life, would have a more accurate representation of the robots' real capabilities, which would explain why they find them less trustworthy or useful, but report less anxiety.…”

Anthropomorphic robots in medicine: technology options and prospects.

“…Однако более молодые совершеннолетние участники исследования меньше доверяли вежливости роботов, чем остальные взрослые. Доверие от взаимодействия с роботом были выше, если общение происходило в очных условиях, и больше симпатии выказывалось мобильному роботу, чем роботу-манипулятору [12].…”

Modeling Politeness in Human-Robot Interaction

“…Previous research on politeness in HRI has produced seemingly contradicting findings regarding this topic. On the one hand, studies focusing on users' perception of polite machines found mostly positive effects of politeness use by agents, for example, increasing the likability of a robot [24], the trust towards non-humanoid robots [12] and the persuasiveness of a virtual agents [11]. On the other hand, studies focusing on the expectations regarding an agents' use of politeness found that users might prefer that robots use more direct language [20] and that indirect or vague language can lead to a bad user experience [7].…”