Ambient persuasion needs goal-striving: the effect of goal activation on the persuasive power of subliminal feedback

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Dynamic perceptions of human-likeness while interacting with a social robot

In human-robot interaction research, much attention is given to the development of socially assistive robots that can have natural interactions with their users. One crucial aspect of such natural interactions is that the robot is perceived as human-like. Much research already exists that investigated perceptions of the human-likeness of social robots, but the duration of the interaction is often overlooked. In an experiment we show that people's human-like perceptions of social robots change substantially over time. With this we show the importance of taking multiple measurements of perceived human-likeness

Ambiguous agents: the influence of consistency of an artificial agent’s social cues on emotion recognition, recall, and persuasiveness

This article explores the relation between consistency of social cues and persuasion by an artificial agent. Including (minimal) social cues in Persuasive Technology (PT) increases the probability that people attribute human-like characteristics to that technology, which in turn can make that technology more persuasive (see, e.g., Nass, Steuer, Tauber, & Reeder, 1993). PT in the social actor role can be equipped with a variety of social cues to create opportunities for applying social influence strategies (for an overview, see Fogg, 2003). However, multiple social cues may not always be perceived as being consistent, which could decrease their perceived human-likeness and their persuasiveness. In the current article, we investigate the relation between consistency of social cues and persuasion by an artificial agent. Findings of two studies show that consistency of social cues increases people’s recognition and recall of artificial agents’ emotional expressions, and make those agents more persuasive. These findings show the importance of the combined meaning of social cues in the design of persuasive artificial agents

Enhancing trust in autonomous vehicles through intelligent user interfaces that mimic human behavior

Autonomous vehicles use sensors and artificial intelligence to drive themselves. Surveys indicate that people are fascinated by the idea of autonomous driving, but are hesitant to relinquish control of the vehicle. Lack of trust seems to be the core reason for these concerns. In order to address this, an intelligent agent approach was implemented, as it has been argued that human traits increase trust in interfaces. Where other approaches mainly use anthropomorphism to shape appearances, the current approach uses anthropomorphism to shape the interaction, applying Gricean maxims (i.e., guidelines for effective conversation). The contribution of this approach was tested in a simulator that employed both a graphical and a conversational user interface, which were rated on likability, perceived intelligence, trust, and anthropomorphism. Results show that the conversational interface was trusted, liked, and anthropomorphized more, and was perceived as more intelligent, than the graphical user interface. Additionally, an interface that was portrayed as more confident in making decisions scored higher on all four constructs than one that was portrayed as having low confidence. These results together indicate that equipping autonomous vehicles with interfaces that mimic human behavior may help increasing people’s trust in, and, consequently, their acceptance of them

Bridging the gap between the home and the lab : a qualitative study of acceptance of an avatar feedback system

The current study provides a first step in the design and development of a persuasive agent in the natural context of the household. We developed two persuasive probe studies: one paper-based probe and one email-based probe on the use, experience, and effectiveness of persuasive agents. Participants had used these prototypes for a week, after which their experiences were explored in depth interviews and a focus group. Results indicated that a persuasive agent in the household is experienced as fairly pleasant, but important issues need to be solved before it can effectively influence behavior

I didn’t know that virtual agent was angry at me: Investigating effects of gaze direction on emotion recognition and evaluation

Previous research has shown a link between gazing behavior and type of emotion felt. It appears that approach-oriented emotions are better perceived in combination with a direct gaze, whereas avoidance-oriented emotions are better perceived in combination with an averted gaze. In this study, we investigate whether this effect can be applied to persuasive social agents. We hypothesized that an approach-oriented emotion is more credible when combined with a direct gaze, whereas an avoidance-oriented emotion is more credible when combined with an averted gaze. This was tested with both an implicit categorization task and an explicit evaluation. The hypothesis was supported for angry expressions, but not for sad ones. Implications for further research and the design of effective persuasive agents are discussed