Sabrina C. Eimler

An Experimental Study on Emotional Reactions Towards a Robot

Although robots are starting to enter into our professional and private lives, little is known about the emotional effects which robots elicit. However, insights into this topic are an important prerequisite when discussing, for example, ethical issues regarding the question of what role we (want to) allow robots to play in our lives. In line with the Media Equation, humans may react towards robots as they do towards humans, making it all the more important to carefully investigate the preconditions and consequences of contact with robots. Based on assumptions on the socialness of reactions towards robots and anecdotal evidence of emotional attachments to robots (e.g. Klamer and BenAllouch in Trappl R. (ed.), Proceedings of EMCSR 2010, Vienna, 2010; Klamer and BenAllouch in Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI-2010), Atlanta, GA. ACM, New York, 2010; Krämer et al. in Appl. Artif. Intell. 25(6):474–502, 2011), we conducted a study that provides further insights into the question of whether humans show emotional reactions towards Ugobe’s Pleo, which is shown in different situations. We used a 2×2 design with one between-subjects factor “prior interaction with the robot” (never seen the robot before vs. 10-minute interaction with the robot) and a within-subject factor “type of video” (friendly interaction video vs. torture video). Following a multi-method approach, we assessed participants’ physiological arousal and self-reported emotions as well as their general evaluation of the videos and the robot. In line with our hypotheses, participants showed increased physiological arousal during the reception of the torture video as compared to the normal video. They also reported fewer positive and more negative feelings after the torture video and expressed empathic concern for the robot. It appears that the acquaintance with the robot does not play a role, as “prior interaction with the robot” showed no effect.

SMS-based discussions - technology enhanced collaboration for a literature course

In this paper we present a communication and discussion toolkit based on sending short messages designed for use in schools. Our approach uses PDAs in a wireless network to build an environment that emulates sending of short messages with mobile phones. The messages created by the students are collected in a database and establish a base for a discussion and analysis later on using Cool Modes, a graph based modeling and discussion system.

Another brick in the Facebook wall – How personality traits relate to the content of status updates

Abstract Status updates represent a new form of one-to-many communication which is widely used among members of social networking sites (SNS). The present study investigated the question of who in particular uses the self-presentational opportunities of this feature and which users engage in riskier self-disclosures than others. Combining questionnaire and content analysis, we related self-reports on users’ personality traits (extraversion, narcissism, self-efficacy, need to belong, need for popularity) to the actual use of Facebook status updates. Results showed that higher degrees of narcissism led to deeper self-disclosures and more self-promotional content within these messages. Users with higher need to belong disclosed more intimate information in status updates, while perceived efficacy of self-presentation was negatively related to the mass suitability of postings. Findings extend prior research on personality and SNS usage with regard to dynamic features and content differences in online self-presentation.

THEORY OF COMPANIONS: WHAT CAN THEORETICAL MODELS CONTRIBUTE TO APPLICATIONS AND UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN-ROBOT INTERACTION?

Because it becomes more and more feasible that artificial entities like robots or agents will soon be parts of our daily lives, an essential challenge is to advance the sociability of artifacts. Against this background, a pivotal goal of the Sera project was to develop a theoretical framework for sociable companions as well as for human-artifact interaction. In discussing several levels of sociability from a theoretical point of view, we will critically reflect whether human-companion interaction has to build on basic principles of human-human interaction. Alternative approaches are presented. It is discussed whether a “theory of companions” is necessary and useful and what it should be able to explain and contribute.

Investigations on empathy towards humans and robots using fMRI

Although robots are starting to enter into our professional and private lives, little is known about the emotional effects they elicit. In line with the Media Equation, humans may react towards robots as they do towards humans, making it all the more important to carefully investigate the preconditions and consequences of contact with robots. Based on assumptions on the socialness of reactions towards robots, we conducted a study that provides further insights into the question of whether humans show emotional reactions towards a robot and whether these reactions differ from those towards a human. To explore emotionality in human-robot interaction we conducted an fMRI study (n=14). Participants were presented videos showing a human, a robot and an inanimate object, being treated in either an affectionate or in a violent way. Self-reported emotional states and functional imaging data revealed that participants indeed reacted emotionally when seeing the affectionate and violent videos. While no different neural activation patterns emerged for the affectionate interaction towards both, the robot and the human, we found differences in neural activity when comparing only the videos showing abusive behavior indicating that participants experience more emotional distress and show negative empathetic concern for the human in the abuse condition. This was supported by similar findings with regard to participants self-reported emotional states.

The use of mobile computing to support SMS dialogues and classroom discussions in a literature course

In this paper we present a communication and discussion toolkit based on sending short messages designed for use in schools. This toolkit is the result of a students project at the University of Duisburg-Essen in collaboration with a local secondary school. Our approach uses PDAs in a wireless network to build an environment which emulates sending of short messages with mobile phones. The messages created by the students are collected in a database and establish a base for a discussion and analysis later on using Cool Modes, a graph based modeling and discussion system.

Human-Agent and Human-Robot Interaction Theory: Similarities to and Differences from Human-Human Interaction

It will be discussed whether a theory specific for human-robot and human-agent interaction is needed or whether theories from human-human interactions can be adapted. First, theories from human-human interaction will be presented. Then, empirical evidence from human-robot- and human-agent interaction is presented. Research suggests that, from the perspective of the user, interaction with an artificial entity is similar to interaction with fellow humans. Explanations for this treatment of agents/robots in a social way (such as the ethopoeia approach, Nass& Moon, 2000) assume that due to our social nature humans will use their interaction routines also when confronted with artificial entities. Based on this it will be discussed whether theories from human-human-interaction will be a helpful framework also for human-agent/robot interaction, whether amendments will be beneficial or whether, alternatively, a totally new approach is needed.

Living with a robot companion: empirical study on the interaction with an artificial health advisor

The EU project SERA (Social Engagement with Robots and Agents) provided the unique opportunity to collect real field data of people interacting with a robot companion in their homes. In the course of three iterations, altogether six elderly participants took part. Following a multi-methodological approach, the continuous quantitative and qualitative description of user behavior on a very fine-grained level gave us insights into when and how people interacted with the robot companion. Post-trial semi-structured interviews explored how the users perceived the companion and revealed their attitudes. Based on this large data set, conclusions can be drawn on whether people show signs of bonding and how their relation to the robot develops over time. Results indicate large inter-individual differences with regard to interaction behavior and attitudes. Implications for research on companions are discussed.

Neural correlates of empathy towards robots

We conducted an fMRI study to investigate emotionality in human-robot interaction. Subjects (N=14) were presented videos showing a human, a robot and an unanimated object, being treated in either an affectionate or a violent way. Violent interaction towards both the robot and the human resulted in similar neural activation patterns in classic limbic structures indicating that both the robot and the human elicit similar emotional reactions. However, differences in neural activity suggest that participants show more negative empathetic concern for the human in a negative situation.

Towards a Multichannel Input Dimension in Learning Scenarios with Mobile Devices

This paper presents an approach towards a mobile learning environment, which is flexible in terms of supported scenarios, supported devices and input channels. The approach makes use of existing and commonly used channels like SMS, Twitter or Face book to increase acceptance and ease-of-use of mobile devices in learning scenarios. Envisaged application scenarios are described along with technical details for their realization.