Why (pre)closing matters. The case of human-robot interaction

Abstract

Using a conversationalist (CA) approach to study social interactions with artificial agents, we’ve collected « face-to-face » interactions between humans and the robot Pepper. As part of the topic of (dis)engagement, our attention has been focused on the last seconds of exchanges, namely the way humans manage to leave or close the interaction. The data revealed how much sequential issues, accountable actions as well as ritual considerations matter in many cases.