Robots as New Media: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Social and Cognitive
Responses to Robotic and On-Screen Agents
Shinozawa, K., Reeves, B., Wise, K., Lim, S., Maldonado, H.
53rd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association
Social responses to lifelike characters can significantly alter human evaluations of
technology. This study tested the differences between a picture of an on-screen character
interacting in three different contexts (retail purchase, health advice, reading survey)
versus a three-dimensional robot conducting the same interactions off screen. A
laboratory experiment (n=72) was conducted in the US and replicated in Japan which
tested differences in social evaluations, credibility, and memory. Results showed
significant interactions between nationality and embodiment across a range of social and
cognitive responses including perceived credibility, perceived surveillance, memory, and
valence. These results are interpreted within technological and cultural contexts.
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