Human, Machine, or Hybrid? Using Anthropomorphism to Conceptualize Trust in Robots

Abstract

While robots appear to be more and more human-like in form and function, they are still machines. People can hence perceive them as humans or machines. With varying human-like designs and user perceptions, there is much confusion about how to measure trust in human-robot relationships. While some researchers use human-like trusting beliefs to conceptualize trust, others use machine-like trusting beliefs to do the same. In this paper, we present a conceptual model and related research propositions to help researchers determine the correct conceptualization of trust for human-robot interaction. We propose that anthropomorphism, or perceptions of humanness about the robot, can dictate the conceptualization of trust in human-robot relationships.