While robots were traditionally built to achieve economic efficiency and financial profits, their roles are likely to change in the future with the aim to provide social support and companionship. In this research, we examined whether the robot’s proposed function (social vs. economic) impacts judgments of mind and moral treatment. Studies 1a and 1b demonstrated that robots with social function were perceived to possess greater ability for emotional experience, but not cognition, compared to those with economic function and whose function was not mentioned explicitly. Study 2 replicated this finding and further showed that low economic value reduced ascriptions of cognitive capacity, whereas high social value resulted in increased emotion perception. In Study 3, robots with high social value were more likely to be afforded protection from harm, and such effect was related to levels of ascribed emotional experience. Together, the findings demonstrate a dissociation between function type (social vs. economic) and ascribed mind (emotion vs. cognition). In addition, the two types of functions exert asymmetric influences on the moral treatment of robots. Theoretical and practical implications for the field of social psychology and human-computer interaction are discussed.


    Access

    Download


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Mind Perception of Robots Varies With Their Economic Versus Social Function


    Contributors:
    Wang, X (author) / Krumhuber, EG (author)

    Publication date :

    2018-07-01


    Remarks:

    Frontiers in Psychology , 9 , Article 1230. (2018)


    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Classification :

    DDC:    629



    Perception of Social Behaviours in Robots

    Sá, Joana / Sequeira, João Silva | Springer Verlag | 2024


    Engagement perception and generation for social robots and virtual agents

    Corrigan, L. J. / Peters, Christopher / Küster, D. et al. | BASE | 2016

    Free access

    Mobile Robots : Perception & Navigation

    Kolski, Sascha | TIBKAT | 2007

    Free access

    Mobile Robots : Perception & Navigation

    Kolski, Sascha | GWLB - Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Bibliothek | 2007

    Free access

    Social Targets versus Economic Needs

    Leah, E. / European Network of Housing Research | British Library Conference Proceedings | 1998