Relationship Development with Humanoid Social Robots: Applying Interpersonal Theories to Human–Robot Interaction

Abstract

Humanoid social robots (HSRs) are human-made technologies that can take physical or digital form, resemble people in form or behavior to some degree, and are designed to interact with people. A common assumption is that social robots can and should mimic humans, such that human-robot interaction (HRI) closely resembles humanhuman (i.e., interpersonal) interaction. Research is often framed from the assumption that rules and theories that apply to interpersonal interaction should apply to HRI (e.g., the computers are social actors framework). Here, we challenge these assumptions and consider more deeply the relevance and applicability of our knowledge about personal relationships to relationships with social robots. First, we describe the typical characteristics of HSRs available to consumers currently, elaborating characteristics relevant to understanding social interactions with robots such as form anthropomorphism and behavioral anthropomorphism. We also consider common social affordances of modern HSRs (persistence, personalization, responsiveness, contingency, and conversational control) and how these align with human capacities and expectations. Next, we present predominant interpersonal theories whose primary claims are foundational to our understanding of human relationship development (social exchange theories, including resource theory, interdependence theory, equity theory, and social penetration theory). We consider whether interpersonal theories are viable frameworks for studying HRI and human-robot relationships given their theoretical assumptions and claims. We conclude by providing suggestions for researchers and designers, including alternatives to equating human-robot relationships to human-human relationships.

Investigating Conformity and the Role of Personality in a Visual Decision Task with Humanoid Robot Peers

“…Seminal research performed by Clifford Nass, Jonathan Steuer, and Ellen Tauber [9] investigated this phenomenon with a series of experiments and found strong support for computers as social actors. Studies have found this same phenomenon occur with individuals interacting with humanoid robots [28]. With people viewing robots as social agents and in light of Computers as Social Actors theory, it is reasonable to assume that social conformity would occur in a group of robot peers.…”

The wizard and I: How transparent teleoperation and self-description (do not) affect children’s robot perceptions and child-robot relationship formation

“…Further elucidating the boundary conditions of child-robot relationship formation would advance our understanding of the characteristics of robots that are necessary or sufficient to support children-whether as a complement to or a temporary replacement of interpersonal interaction (e.g., during radiation therapy; Ligthart et al 2019b). While future robots may be (more) autonomous and may have a wider range of (increasingly humanlike) characteristics and capacities than current robots, the distinction between humans and robots will remain relevant (Fox and Gambino 2021), and, if not overlooked, may be integrated in CRI scenarios to allow for rewarding interactions between robots and children.…”

Digital Twin for Human–Robot Interactions by Means of Industry 4.0 Enabling Technologies

“…Over the past few years, robots have started to easily interact with human partners via gestures or voice, thanks to their growing autonomy and the introduction of new software and hardware capabilities [17]. Gradually, the relationship between robots and humans has changed to resemble more human-human interactions due to the transformation of robots into more sophisticated co-working partners [18]. This evolution has impacted robot programming methods as well.…”