A Cross-Cultural Comparison on Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Towards Artificial Agents

International Journal of Social Robotics, vol. 15, pp. 1439–1455

Abstract

Abstract Historically, there has been a great deal of confusion in the literature regarding cross-cultural differences in attitudes towards artificial agents and preferences for their physical appearance. Previous studies have almost exclusively assessed attitudes using self-report measures (i.e., questionnaires). In the present study, we sought to expand our knowledge on the influence of cultural background on explicit and implicit attitudes towards robots and avatars. Using the Negative Attitudes Towards Robots Scale and the Implicit Association Test in a Japanese and Dutch sample, we investigated the effect of culture and robots’ body types on explicit and implicit attitudes across two experiments (total n = 669). Partly overlapping with our hypothesis, we found that Japanese individuals had a more positive explicit attitude towards robots compared to Dutch individuals, but no evidence of such a difference was found at the implicit level. As predicted, the implicit preference towards humans was moderate in both cultural groups, but in contrast to what we expected, neither culture nor robot embodiment influenced this preference. These results suggest that only at the explicit but not implicit level, cultural differences appear in attitudes towards robots.

Authors 6

1. Fabiola Diana corresponding Aachen Comparative Psychology and Affective Neuroscience Lab Cognitive Psychology Unit Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Comparative Psychology and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands

2. Misako Kawahara

   Tokyo Woman's Christian University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, Tokyo Woman's Christian University, 2-6-1 Zempukuji, Suginamiku, Tokyo 167-8585 Japan

   Department of Psychology, Tokyo Woman's Christian University, 2-6-1 Zempukuji, Suginamiku, Tokyo, 167-8585, Japan

3. Isabella Saccardi

   Utrecht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Information and Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, Princeton Square 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands

   Department of Information and Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, Princeton Square 5, 3584 CC, Utrecht, The Netherlands

4. Ruud Hortensius

   Utrecht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands

   Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands

5. Akihiro Tanaka

   Tokyo Woman's Christian University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, Tokyo Woman's Christian University, 2-6-1 Zempukuji, Suginamiku, Tokyo 167-8585 Japan

   Department of Psychology, Tokyo Woman's Christian University, 2-6-1 Zempukuji, Suginamiku, Tokyo, 167-8585, Japan

6. Mariska Esther Kret Aachen Comparative Psychology and Affective Neuroscience Lab Cognitive Psychology Unit Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Comparative Psychology and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands