Social Connectedness Promotes Robot Anthropomorphism

Abstract

Anthropomorphism has traditionally been viewed as a means to compensate for a lack of social connection; therefore, social deficits are considered to facilitate anthropomorphism. In this research, we adopted an alternative growth-oriented perspective of anthropomorphism. We posited that anthropomorphism operates as a means to explore the social world, and thus hypothesized that social connectedness promotes robot anthropomorphism. To test this hypothesis, we conducted three studies (total N = 599) examining the effect of social connectedness on robot anthropomorphism. We found that social connectedness increased robot anthropomorphism. Importantly, genuine interest in social interactions with robots accounted for this effect. In addition, anthropomorphism elicited by social connectedness predicted more favorable attitudes toward robots. These findings enrich the current understanding of anthropomorphism and have practical implications.

More than a barrier: Nostalgia inhibits, but also promotes, favorable responses to innovative technology.

“…As such, social connectedness is presumed to be associated with or promote embracement of innovative technology. As a case in point, social connectedness strengthens one’s interest in interacting with robots and support for research on robots (Dang & Liu, 2023b), increases favorable judgments about technological services (Jung et al, 2022), and decreases comfort when experiencing services provided by robots (Mende et al, 2019).…”

“…However, other empirical streams appear to challenge this notion: Nostalgia may facilitate favorable responses to innovative technology. In particular, nostalgia fosters social connectedness (Juhl & Biskas, 2023; Sedikides & Wildschut, 2019), which serves as safe basis for welcoming innovative technology (Dang & Liu, 2023b; Jung et al, 2022).…”