Effects of Beep-Sound Timings on Trust Dynamics in Human-Robot Interaction

Abstract

AbstractThis study investigated the effects of a combination of anthropomorphic and mechanical features in a social robot on human trust, especially focusing on how beep sounds emitted by a social robot with anthropomorphic physicality influence human trust in the robot. Beep sounds were experimentally manipulated to be presented right before a robot showed high or low task performance. As a result, (1) a sound right before high performance increased trust in the robot when it performed accurately, and (2) a sound right before low performance caused a greater decrease in trust in the robot when it performed inaccurately, and also a greater increase in the trust when it performed accurately. Even though identical beep sounds were presented, their effects on human trust differed depending on the timing. On the basis of the results, possible methods for designing trust in human-robot interactions are discussed.KeywordsTrust dynamicsSocial robotBeep soundArtificial subtle expressions