Interacting Like Humans? Understanding the Effect of Anthropomorphism on Consumer’s Willingness to Pay in Online Auctions

Most research examining individuals’ bidding behavior in online auctions has used the lens of a rational decision making process. However, bidding behavior is also influenced by non-rational factors. Anthropomorphism, attributing human characteristics to a non-human object, has been studied in many disciplines, but has not been investigated in online auctions. This study aims to identify whether auditory and visual design factors for a non-human product would induce anthropomorphism and impact individuals' bidding decision. Results show that visual design induces individuals’ anthropomorphism and also impacts bidding decisions

A TALE OF TWO VIRTUAL ADVISORS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY INVESTIGATING THE EMPOWERMENT EFFECT OF MOBILE MENTAL-HEALTH ADVISORY SYSTEMS ON EMERGENCY RESCUERS

Virtual advisory services are very important tools for the psychological self-help domain. It is particularly valuable for emergency rescuers in relieving their psychological distress given the high-stress nature of their occupation. To investigate optimal design strategies for an effective virtual advisory service to empower emergency rescuers, this article explores how virtual advisor identity influences the empowerment effect of virtual mental-health advisory systems for emergency rescuers. Guided by empowerment theory and similarity theory, we developed and empirically tested our system artefact and design theory for our virtual advisory system MHAS. The results of our experiment, involving 120 emergency rescuers who have just finished their emergency tasks in Inner Mongolia, show that virtual advisor identity significantly impacts on a user’s cognitive and emotional aspects, which are significant empowering enablers leading to positive empowerment outcomes as measured by a sense of control and perceived power. Implications for research and practice are then discussed

Investigating the impact of pedagogical agent gender matching and learner choice on learning outcomes and perceptions

abstract: The similarity attraction hypothesis posits that humans are drawn toward others who behave and appear similar to themselves. Two experiments examined this hypothesis with middle-school students learning electrical circuit analysis in a computer-based environment with an Animated Pedagogical Agent (APA). Experiment 1 was designed to determine whether matching the gender of the APA to the student has a positive impact on learning outcomes or student perceptions. One hundred ninety-seven middle-school students learned with the computer-based environment using an APA that matched their gender or one which was opposite in gender. Female students reported higher program ratings when the APA matched their gender. Male students, on the other hand, reported higher program ratings than females when the APA did not match their gender. Experiment 2 systematically tested the impact of providing learners the choice among four APAs on learning outcomes and student perceptions. Three hundred thirty-four middle-school students received either a pre-assigned random APA or were free to choose from four APA options: young male agent, older male agent, young female agent, or older female agent. Learners had higher far transfer scores when provided a choice of animated agent, but student perceptions were not impacted by having the ability to make this choice. We suggest that offering students learner control positively impacts student motivation and learning by increasing student perceptions of autonomy, responsibility for the success of the instructional materials, and global satisfaction with the design of materials.NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in COMPUTERS & EDUCATION. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in COMPUTERS & EDUCATION Volume 67, September 2013, Pages 36–50 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.02.00

Автоматизація процесів управління розподіленими командами з використанням технології чат-ботів

У роботі проведено дослідження процесів управління в компанії ТОВ «Центр мережевих технологій ВЕБ100» (QATestLab) і сформовано вимоги до автоматизованої інформаційної системи. Виконано проектування архітектури автоматизованої інформаційної системи. Створено прототип автоматизованої інформаційної системи на основі чат-бота.The master's thesis conducted research on management processes in the company "Center Network Technology WEB100" (QATestLab) and the requirements for the automated information system were composed. The architecture of the automated information system has been designed. A prototype of an automated chatbot information system has been developed

Автоматизація процесів управління розподіленими командами з використанням технології чат-ботів

У роботі проведено дослідження процесів управління в компанії ТОВ «Центр мережевих технологій ВЕБ100» (QATestLab) і сформовано вимоги до автоматизованої інформаційної системи. Виконано проектування архітектури автоматизованої інформаційної системи. Створено прототип автоматизованої інформаційної системи на основі чат-бота.The master's thesis conducted research on management processes in the company "Center Network Technology WEB100" (QATestLab) and the requirements for the automated information system were composed. The architecture of the automated information system has been designed. A prototype of an automated chatbot information system has been developed

Digital Human Representations for Health Behavior Change: A Structured Literature Review

Organizations have increasingly begun using digital human representations (DHRs), such as avatars and embodied agents, to deliver health behavior change interventions (BCIs) that target modifiable risk factors in the smoking, nutrition, alcohol overconsumption, and physical inactivity (SNAP) domain. We conducted a structured literature review of 60 papers from the computing, health, and psychology literatures to investigate how DHRs’ social design affects whether BCIs succeed. Specifically, we analyzed how differences in social cues that DHRs use affect user psychology and how this can support or hinder different intervention functions. Building on established frameworks from the human-computer interaction and BCI literatures, we structure extant knowledge that can guide efforts to design future DHR-delivered BCIs. We conclude that we need more field studies to better understand the temporal dynamics and the mid-term and long-term effects of DHR social design on user perception and intervention outcomes

A principlist-based study of the ethical design and acceptability of artificial social agents

Artificial Social Agents (ASAs), which are AI software driven entities programmed with rules and preferences to act autonomously and socially with humans, are increasingly playing roles in society. As their sophistication grows, humans will share greater amounts of personal information, thoughts, and feelings with ASAs, which has significant ethical implications. We conducted a study to investigate what ethical principles are of relative importance when people engage with ASAs and whether there is a relationship between people’s values and the ethical principles they prioritise. The study uses scenarios, embedded with the five AI4People ethical principles (Beneficence, Non-maleficence, Autonomy, Justice, and Explicability), involving ASAs taking on roles traditionally played by humans to understand whether these roles and behaviours (including dialogues) are seen as acceptable or unacceptable. Results from 268 participants reveal the greatest sensitivity to ASA behaviours that relate to Autonomy, Justice, Explicability, and the privacy of their personal data. Models were created using Schwartz’s Refined Values as a possible indicator of how stakeholders discern and prioritise the different AI4People ethical principles when interacting with ASAs. Our findings raise issues around the ethical acceptability of ASAs for nudging and changing behaviour due to participants’ desire for autonomy and their concerns over deceptive ASA behaviours such as pretending to have memories and emotions

Natureza morfológica dos chatbots

Esta dissertação de mestrado examina a natureza morfológica dos Chatbots e dedica-se a estudar com detalhe os fatores que influenciam a sua aceitação. Complementarmente, analisa os impactos nas pessoas e os reflexos e transformações nas organizações decorrentes da utilização dos Chatbots e a perceção predominante sobre a forma como são encarados: se como oportunidade a explorar ou ameaça a evitar. A investigação teve um objetivo essencialmente exploratório, com vista a aprofundar e incrementar conhecimento, mas foi alavancada também por um objetivo explicativo – na medida em que procura identificar e validar as variáveis que determinam o fenómeno de aceitação dos Chatbots. Não obstante as contribuições da literatura sobre esta matéria, ainda incipientes tendo em conta a sua natureza recente, verificou-se existir uma lacuna de investigação consubstanciada na necessidade de uma visão holística, sistematizada e com comprovação empírica, sobre os fatores com potencial de influência na aceitação dos Chatbots. Nesse sentido, um estudo estatístico, com reflexão crítica, foi realizado a partir dos dados extraídos de um inquérito por questionário online, construído com inspiração nos modelos TAM e UTAUT, e que reuniu 427 contribuições. Os resultados mostraram que, de entre as cinco variáveis demográficas estudadas – idade, género, formação académica, experiência individual e meio socioeconómico – o género é a que menos se reflete na aceitação de Chatbots. Apurou-se, também, que o hábito, a motivação hedónica e a utilidade percebida são os fatores não demográficos com maior poder de impacto, sendo neles que se deverá apostar com vista à maximização da aceitação de Chatbots. Os resultados do estudo verificaram, ainda, que os reflexos sociológicos e organizacionais estão longe de ser marginais, nomeadamente no que concerne a substituição dos indivíduos em algumas tarefas por agentes não-humanos, a indisponibilização de emprego pela massificação de exemplos tecnológicos como Chatbots e a configuração das relações interpessoais. E que, apesar da forte componente subjetiva, as oportunidades subjacentes à aceitação e uso dos Chatbots suplantam, em larga escala, as suas potenciais ameaças.This master thesis examines the morphological nature of Chatbots and devotes itself to studying in detail the factors that influence its acceptance. In addition, it analyzes the impacts on people and the reflexes and transformations in the organizations resulting from the use of Chatbots and the predominant perception about the way they are viewed: whether as an opportunity to exploit or threat to avoid. The research had an essentially exploratory objective, in order to deepen the topic under analysis, but it was drawn in addition by an explanatory purpose - taking into account that this scientific work seeks to identify and validate the variables that determine the acceptance phenomenon of Chatbots. Notwithstanding the contributions of the literature on this subject ("What" and "How" mainly), there was a research gap based on a holistic, systematized and empirically-based view of the factors that could influence the acceptance of Chatbots , motivated by the recent nature of the topic. In this sense, a statistical study, with critical reflection, was carried out from the data extracted from an online (questionnaire inspired by the models TAM and UTAUT) that gathered 427 contributions. The results showed that among the five demographic variables studied - age, gender, academic background, individual experience and socioeconomic background - gender is the one that least influences the acceptance of Chatbots. It was also found that habit, hedonic motivation and perceived utility are the non-demographic factors with the greatest impact power, in which bets should be made to maximize the acceptance of Chatbots. The results of the study also verified that the sociological and organizational reflexes are far from being marginal, namely in what concerns the substitution of individuals in some tasks by nonhuman agents, the unavailability of employment by the massification of technological examples such as Chatbots and configuration of interpersonal relationships. And, despite the strong subjective component, the opportunities behind the acceptance and use of Chatbots far outweigh its potential threats