Perception et attitudes à l’égard des robots anthropomorphes en France : validation d’une échelle d’attitudes

Abstract

Robots with human appearance (i.e., anthropomorphic robots) are supposed to be better accepted by users because they are physically closer. However, several recent studies tend to contradict this idea. In this paper, two experiments are aiming to investigate the attitudes toward anthropomorphic robots for children, adolescents, adults and senior in France. In the first experiment, two hundred seventeen participants were asked to perform individually three successive tasks: to explain what a robot for him/her; complete our French translation of the negative attitudes scale toward robots called “NARS” (Nomura, Kanda, & Suzuki, 2006); and to sort by ascending order of preference eight robots shown in videos. In the second experiment, because the NARS is not adapted for youngest participants, forty-eight children were asked to perform the same successive tasks but with an adapted questionnaire for them by using a continuous rating scale. The results show that the physical appearance of robots is a key determinant of attitudes and opinions (positive and negative), whatever of age and gender of the participants. In addition, too much physical similarity with humans, i.e., anthropomorphism, produces negative attitudes towards robots for all the age groups. Our first experiment is a first validation of the French version of the “NARS” for French teenagers, adults and seniors. Our second experiment is a first validation of an adapted version of the NARS for French children, by using a continuous rating scale. Moreover, contrary to what some researchers in human–robot interaction (HRI) suggested, the negative attitudes towards anthropomorphic robots exist for youngest participants, i.e., for future users of these anthropomorphic robots. In other words, the design of anthropomorphic robots does not necessarily accompanied positive attitudes towards them for all actual and/or future users.