The Effect of the Decision Time of a Human-robot Hybrid Group on Normative Conformity

摘要

Steam of research shows that peoples’ decisions could be influenced by other groups under social pressure, even if they know their initial outcomes are correct. This effect of normative conformity not only exists in human-human interaction, but also exists in human-robot interaction. However, we argue that these findings are incomplete because they all focus on the effect of the confederates’ decision outcomes on focal individuals in conformity. It is as yet unclear whether and to what extent the confederates’ decision process (i.e., their decision time) can influence normative conformity. In this study, we use the Asch paradigm in a human-robot hybrid setting, revealing that the confederates’ decision time affects normative conformity. We further explore whether the unanimity of the confederates’ decision time affects normative conformity. Results reveal that the effect of the robot confederate’s decision time on normative conformity is weaker than the human confederates’. Next, we further explore the underlying explanation of this effect, finding that the confederates’ decision time shapes their group pressure and ultimately influences normative conformity. These findings suggest that the confederates’ decision time can and does affect normative conformity, the influence of the decision process of the human-robot hybrid cannot be ignored in human-robot interaction.