The Role of Robot Competence, Autonomy, and Personality on Trust Formation in Human–Robot Interaction

Abstract

Human trust in social robots is a complex attitude based on cognitive and emotional evaluations, as well as a behavior, such as task delegation. Although previous research explored the features of robots that influence the overall trust attitude, it remains unclear whether these features affect behavioral trust. Additionally, there is limited investigation into which features of robots influence cognitive and emotional attitudes, and how these attitudes impact humans’ willingness to delegate new tasks to robots. This study examines the interplay between robot competence, autonomy, and personality trait of agreeableness and their impact on trust attitudes (cognitive and affective trust) and trust behavior (task delegation), within the context of task-oriented Human–Robot Interaction. Our findings indicate that robot competence is a key determinant of trust, influencing cognitive, affective, and behavioral trust. In contrast, robot agreeableness significantly impact only affective trust without affecting cognitive trust or trust behavior. In addition, autonomy was found to moderate the relationship between competence and cognitive trust, as well as between personality and affective trust. Finally, cognitive trust was found to positively influence task delegation, whereas affective trust did not show a significant effect. This article contributes to the literature on Human–Robot Trust by providing novel evidence that enhances the acceptance and effectiveness of social robots in collaborative scenarios.