The authority of appearance: How robot features influence trait inferences and evaluative responses

Recent research indicates that robots' physical appearance affects inferences about their social traits, but little research has examined how features may influence evaluative responses (i.e., liking of and willingness to interact). The current studies investigated how robot appearance and function affect evaluative responses. Across four experiments, we assessed how robotic facial features (Study 1) and roles (e.g., companion vs. military; Study 2) influence trait inferences and evaluative responses, and the relationship between them. Study 3 examined the association between robot facial features and roles, and Study 4 examined both facial features and roles to see which drove social judgments. Results indicated that trait inferences and evaluative responses vary in response to both facial features and roles. Trait inferences predicted, with differing strength, evaluative responses towards robots. When pitting facial features against roles, features accounted more strongly for judgments. Implications for human-robot interaction and robot design are considered.