Social Identity in Human-Robot Interaction: An Examination of Age Group Identification on Perceptions of Social Robots

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Abstract

Social Identity Theory (SIT) posits that individuals gain a sense of personal esteem from the groups they identify with in social settings. Specifically, age group identification has been demonstrated to have positive consequences for members. This experiment extends the current literature by broadening SIT to the human-robot interaction (HRI) context. Results will examine how high age-group identifiers differ from low age-group identifiers in perceptions of social robots. Future research is discussed in relation to age group identification and HRI.

Authors

• Chad Edwards, Western Michigan U

• Autumn Payge Edwards, Western Michigan University

• Patric R. Spence, U of Kentucky