Anthropomorphism in Social Robotics and Negative Attitudes, Sociability, Animacy, Agency, and Disturbance: A Pilot Study - EV

Abstract

Designing a social robot that meets the acceptability requirements of the target end-users represents a challenge. The process is iterative and requires continuous improvements and optimization over time. One key aspect in designing an acceptable social robot is anthropomorphism. Social roboticists have developed assessment tools to evaluate different perception aspects. In this study, we evaluate the attitude of children toward four robots with different degrees of anthropomorphic traits. Questionnaires based on the Negative Attitude toward Robots Scale (NARS) and the Human-Robot Interaction Evaluation Scale (HRIES) were used to acquire the responses of 33 participants. To identify any changes due to interactions, a pre-test questionnaire was given prior to the interaction with a robot that was then followed by a post-test questionnaire. Statistical tests were used to analyze the effects of gender (i.e., males vs females), test (i.e., pre-test vs post-test), and four robots, on the perception of the robots. Statistical differences were found between the four robots in the subscales of HRIES, namely, Sociability, Animacy, and Disturbance. The preferences of the children were leaning toward the humanoid robot (i.e., Alpha) with the moderate anthropomorphic traits in the Disturbance subscale. Low to moderate correlations were found between the subscales of NARS and HRIES. The finding of this work highlights the importance of careful selection of anthropomorphic traits in designing social robots and the potential of integrated assessment tools to evaluate attitudes toward robots.