2,493 research outputs found

    What is Consciousness For?

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    What is Consciousness For? Lee Pierson and Monroe Trout Copyright © 2005 Abstract: The answer to the title question is, in a word, volition. Our hypothesis is that the ultimate adaptive function of consciousness is to make volitional movement possible. All conscious processes exist to subserve that ultimate function. Thus, we believe that all conscious organisms possess at least some volitional capability. Consciousness makes volitional attention possible; volitional attention, in turn, makes volitional movement possible. There is, as far as we know, no valid theoretical argument that consciousness is needed for any function other than volitional movement and no convincing empirical evidence that consciousness performs any other ultimate function. Consciousness, via volitional action, increases the likelihood that an organism will direct its attention, and ultimately its movements, to whatever is most important for its survival and reproduction

    Artificial Companions with Personality and Social Role

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    Subtitle: "Expectations from Users on the Design of Groups of Companions"International audienceRobots and virtual characters are becoming increasingly used in our everyday life. Yet, they are still far from being able to maintain long-term social relationships with users. It also remains unclear what future users will expect from these so-called "artificial companions" in terms of social roles and personality. These questions are of importance because users will be surrounded with multiple artificial companions. These issues of social roles and personality among a group of companions are sledom tackled in user studies. In this paper, we describe a study in which 94 participants reported that social roles and personalities they would expect from groups of companions. We explain how the resulsts give insights for the design of future groups of companions endowed with social intelligence

    Robotics for social welfare

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    Supported by developments in the field of social robotics, virtual worlds and ICT tools it is possible to build new solutions in health and welfare. Two projects are described in this article. They are intended to improve efficiency and quality of current therapeutic procedures. The ESTIMULO project improves emotional and cognitive status of people with dementia using a reactive pet-robot. The ELDERTOY project modifies the classical concept from the toy industry to develop a new solution for the aged people. ELDERTOY involves a double purpose, fun and therapeutic. In a complementary way, these projects aim to be an example of the breaking of the technology gap both of seniors and of people with disabilities. Therefore, the ultimate goal is to promote and adapt scientific and technological knowledge to be applied to improve significantly the standard of quality of life in society

    Towards a socio cognitive perspective of presenteeism, leadership and the rise of robotic Interventions in the workplace

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    This thesis intends to investigate the relationship between the presenteeism phenomenon and the leadership construct, by analyzing a new concept in the literature, leadership presenteeism. Second, it explores robotic leadership and the impact of human-leadership styles in teams headed by social robots. Third, it investigates the role of robots as health-promoting agents within workplaces, contributing to workers’ improvements in a set of organizational variables. The thesis includes seven empirical studies, divided in four papers. Paper 1 findings suggest that individuals perceive themselves as less productive when they work with a leader with a psychological or contagious illness. Paper 2 reveals that robots can properly perform leadership roles while leading human teams, and achieve the same organizational outcomes as human leaders. Moreover, robots performing both transformational and transactional leadership styles can impact positively different organizational outcomes. In paper 3 a robot was used as a health behavior promoting agent in a single-arm intervention, with two assessment points in time. Results showed that the intervention with the robot enabled to improve a set of psychological health behavior constructs. Finally, paper 4 aimed to compare the health behavior change intervention between two groups: one guided by a robotic agent and the other by a human agent. Results showed that the intervention with the robot agent was associated with improvements in individuals’ productivity despite presenteeism and well-being levels. This thesis contributes to the understanding of the relationship between presenteeism and leadership constructs, while seeks also to contribute and extend SCT and HAPA theoretical framework.A presente tese pretende analisar a relação entre o fenĂłmeno do presentismo e o construto de liderança, atravĂ©s da anĂĄlise de um novo conceito na literatura, a liderança de presentismo. Em segundo lugar, explora a liderança robĂłtica e o impacto dos estilos de liderança humana em equipas lideradas por robĂŽs. Terceiro, investiga o papel dos robĂŽs como agentes promotores da saĂșde nos locais de trabalho, contribuindo para a melhoria de um conjunto de variĂĄveis organizacionais. A tese inclui sete estudos empĂ­ricos, divididos em quatro artigos. Os resultados do artigo 1 sugerem que os indivĂ­duos se consideram menos produtivos quando trabalham com um lĂ­der com uma doença psicolĂłgica ou contagiosa. O artigo 2 revela que os robĂŽs podem desempenhar corretamente papĂ©is de liderança em equipas humanas, alcançando os mesmos resultados organizacionais que os lĂ­deres humanos. AlĂ©m disso, os robĂŽs podem desempenhar tanto estilos de liderança transformacional como transacional, com impactos positivos em diversos resultados organizacionais. No artigo 3 foi utilizado um robĂŽ como agente promotor de comportamentos de saĂșde. Os resultados mostraram que a intervenção permitiu melhorar um conjunto de variĂĄveis ligadas a comportamentos psicolĂłgicos de saĂșde. Finalmente, o artigo 4 visou comparar a mesma intervenção entre dois grupos: um guiado por um agente robĂłtico e o outro por um agente humano. Os resultados mostraram que a intervenção com o agente robĂŽ esteve associada a melhorias na produtividade dos indivĂ­duos e nos respetivos nĂ­veis de bem-estar. Esta tese contribui para a compreensĂŁo da relação entre o presentismo e a liderança, ao mesmo tempo que procura tambĂ©m contribuir e alargar o quadro teĂłrico da SCT e do modelo HAPA

    Collaboration and competition in groups of humans and robots: effects on socioemotional and task-oriented behaviors

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    Advancements in technology have allowed the emergence of novel forms of social interaction. More specifically, in the last decades, the emergence of social robots has triggered a multidisciplinary effort towards achieving a better understanding of how humans and robots interact. In this dissertation, our goal was to contribute towards that effort by considering the role of goal orientation displayed by the robot (i.e. competitive vs. cooperative) and the role displayed by each player (partners and opponents). Sixty participants engaged in a typical Portuguese card-game called Sueca (two robots and two humans). Each participant played three games with each of the other players and the goal orientation was manipulated by the set of pre-validated verbal utterances displayed by the robot. The interactions were video-recorded, and we used a coding scheme based on Bales Interaction Process Analysis (1950) for small groups to analyze socioemotional positive, negative and task-oriented behaviors. A MultiLevel Modelling analysis yielded a significant effect of the role for all dimensions. Participants directed more socioemotional positive and task-oriented behaviors towards the human playing as a partner than as opponent and also interacted more with the other human in comparison to both robots. Comparing both robots, participants displayed more positive and task-oriented behaviors when interacting with robots as opponents than as partners. These results suggest the occurrence of different behavioral patterns in competitive and collaborative interactions with robots, that might be useful to inform the future development of more socially effective robots.O desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias tem proporcionado a emergĂȘncia de novas formas de interação social. Mais especificamente, nas Ășltimas dĂ©cadas, o desenvolvimento de robĂŽs sociais tem despoletado um esforço interdisciplinar orientado para o estabelecimento de uma melhor compreensĂŁo acerca da forma como pessoas e robĂŽs interagem. Com esta dissertação, pretendemos contribuir para esse esforço considerando o efeito da orientação estratĂ©gica exibida pelo robĂŽ (i.e. competitivo vs. colaborativo) e o efeito do papel assumido pelos jogadores (parceiro ou oponente). Sessenta participantes jogaram Ă  Sueca (dois robĂŽs e dois humanos). Cada participante jogou trĂȘs jogos em parceria com cada um dos outros jogadores e a orientação estratĂ©gica foi manipulada atravĂ©s do conjunto prĂ©-validado de interaçÔes verbais exibido pelos robĂŽs. As interaçÔes foram filmadas e analisadas usando o guiĂŁo de anĂĄlise sugerido por Bales (1950) que inclui interaçÔes socioemocionais negativas, positivas e relacionadas com a tarefa. Uma anĂĄlise Multi-nĂ­vel dos resultados revelou um efeito principal do papel para todas as dimensĂ”es. Os participantes dirigiram mais comportamentos positivos e relacionados com a tarefa para os humanos no papel de parceiros do que oponentes e interagiram mais frequentemente com o humano do que com os robĂŽs. Os participantes tambĂ©m direcionaram mais interaçÔes positivas e relacionadas com a tarefa para os robĂŽs quando estes assumiram o papel de oponentes, em comparação com quando jogaram como parceiros. Estes resultados sugerem a ocorrĂȘncia de diferentes padrĂ”es comportamentais quando interagindo com robĂŽs competitivos e colaborativos que poderĂŁo ser Ășteis para informar o desenvolvimento de robĂŽs mais socialmente eficazes

    An Evaluation Schema for the Ethical Use of Autonomous Robotic Systems in Security Applications

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    We propose a multi-step evaluation schema designed to help procurement agencies and others to examine the ethical dimensions of autonomous systems to be applied in the security sector, including autonomous weapons systems

    Emergent Models for Moral AI Spirituality

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    Examining AI spirituality can illuminate problematic assumptions about human spirituality and AI cognition, suggest possible directions for AI development, reduce uncertainty about future AI, and yield a methodological lens sufficient to investigate human-AI sociotechnical interaction and morality. Incompatible philosophical assumptions about human spirituality and AI limit investigations of both and suggest a vast gulf between them. An emergentist approach can replace dualist assumptions about human spirituality and identify emergent behavior in AI computation to overcome overly reductionist assumptions about computation. Using general systems theory to organize models of human experience yields insight into human morality and spirituality, upon which AI modeling can also draw. In this context, the pragmatist Josiah Royce’s semiotic philosophy of spirituality identifies unanticipated overlap between symbolic AI and spirituality and suggests criteria for a human-AI community focused on modeling morality that would result in an emergent Interpreter-Spirit sufficient to influence the ongoing development of human and AI morality and spirituality
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