Excluded by robots: Can robot-robot-human interaction lead to ostracism?

Hadas Erel, Yoav Cohen, Klil Shafrir, Sara Daniela Levy, Idan Dov Vidra, Tzachi Shem Tov, Oren Zuckerman

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

35 Scopus citations

Abstract

Robot-Robot-Human Interaction is an emerging field, holding the potential to reveal social effects involved in human interaction with more than one robot. We tested if an interaction between one participant and two non-humanoid robots can lead to negative feelings related to ostracism, and if it can impact fundamental psychological needs including control, belonging, meaningful existence, and self-esteem. We implemented a physical ball-tossing activity based on the Cyberball paradigm. The robots' ball-tossing ratio towards the participant was manipulated in three conditions: Exclusion (10%), Inclusion (33%), and Over-inclusion (75%). Objective and subjective measures indicated that the Exclusion condition led to an ostracism experience which involved feeling "rejected", "ignored", and "meaningless", with an impact on various needs including control, belonging, and meaningful existence. We conclude that interaction with more than one robot can form a powerful social context with the potential to impact psychological needs, even when the robots have no humanoid features.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHRI 2021 - Proceedings of the 2021 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Pages312-321
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9781450382892
DOIs
StatePublished - 8 Mar 2021
Externally publishedYes
Event2021 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, HRI 2021 - Virtual, Online, United States
Duration: 8 Mar 202111 Mar 2021

Publication series

NameACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction
ISSN (Electronic)2167-2148

Conference

Conference2021 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, HRI 2021
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityVirtual, Online
Period8/03/2111/03/21

Keywords

  • Cyberball
  • Exclusion
  • Human-Robot Interaction
  • Non-humanoid robots
  • Robot-Robot-Human Interaction
  • Social robots. Ostracism

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Excluded by robots: Can robot-robot-human interaction lead to ostracism?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this