Do Emotional Robots Get More Help? How a Robots Emotions Affect Collaborators Willingness to Help

This study explored the potential of artificial emotions displayed by a robot to enhance communication and increase human willingness to assist in situations where the robot is faced with a task it cannot accomplish. Using a process-oriented approach, emotions were viewed as an integral part of the complex dynamics between individuals and their environment, facilitating social cues for coordinated actions. In the first study, participants were shown videos of a robot showing no emotion, as well as sad or angry emotions following a failed task. Participants accurately identified the artificial emotions, and the results indicated that displaying emotions improved overall understanding of the robot's situation. However, it had no significant effect on participants' willingness to help. The second study focused on the robot's role as a collaborator. Participants watched the same videos as in the first study. The results revealed that, on the whole, participants preferred a neutral robot as their collaborator, and showed a particularly strong aversion to the angry robot. While the sad robot increased participants' willingness to help, the study suggests that careful selection of artificial emotions is crucial, taking into account situational appropriateness and the emotional impact on human collaborators. This acknowledges the existence of an affective loop between the robot's artificial emotion and its human counterpart. Overall, this research highlights the potential importance of artificial emotions in human-robot interactions, emphasizes the need for careful consideration when incorporating such emotions, and recognizes the complex interplay between a robot's emotional expression and its impact on human collaborators.

Automated summary

This study explores the potential of artificial emotions displayed by a robot in enhancing communication and increasing human willingness to assist in challenging situations. The research found that displaying emotions improved overall understanding of the robot's situation, but had no significant effect on participants' willingness to help. Careful selection of artificial emotions is crucial, considering situational appropriateness and emotional impact on human collaborators.