Robot status: investigating the perception of social status in a robot

Li, Jamy

Abstract

Media technology enables people to have social interactions with the technology itself. Robots are a new form of media that people can communicate with as independent entities. Although robots are becoming more naturalized in social roles involving companionship, customer service and education, little is known about how people will perceive the status of these robots. This dissertation investigates how locomotion and occupational title influence the perception of status in a robot. In a series of experiments, I find that locomotion of a non-humanoid robotic footstool can communicate high and low status (Study 1) and that the occupational title of a humanoid robot lecturer does not communicate status (Study 2). This provides evidence that the motion of a robot is a powerful cue of its status, a finding relevant for the design of robots with limited expressive capabilities.

Citation

Li, J. (2016). Robot status: investigating the perception of social status in a robot. (Dissertation). Stanford University. http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/4186962

• Thesis Type: Dissertation
• Online Publication Date: Jun 12, 2016
• Deposit Date: Mar 25, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 25, 2025
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/4186962
• External URL: http://purl.stanford.edu/zc407sf6867
• Award Date: Jun 12, 2016