Use of service robots in an event setting: Understanding the role of social presence, eeriness, and identity threat

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 528-537
Author(s):  
Smita Singh ◽  
Eric D. Olson ◽  
Chin-Hsun (Ken) Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Identity Threat

The service triad: an empirical study of service robots, customers and frontline employees

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaby Odekerken-Schröder ◽  
Kars Mennens ◽  
Mark Steins ◽  
Dominik Mahr
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Service Robot ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Casual Dining ◽  
Utilitarian Value

PurposeRecent service studies suggest focusing on the service triad consisting of technology-customer-frontline employee (FLE). This study empirically investigates the role of service robots in this service triad, with the aim to understand the augmentation or substitution role of service robots in driving utilitarian and hedonic value and ultimately customer repatronage.Design/methodology/approachIn study 1, field data are collected from customers (n = 108) who interacted with a service robot and FLE in a fast casual dining restaurant. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test hypotheses about the impact of service robots' anthropomorphism, social presence, value perceptions and augmentation opportunities in the service triad. In study 2, empirical data from a scenario-based experimental design (n = 361) complement the field study by further scrutinizing the interplay between the service robot and FLEs within the service triad.FindingsThe study provides three important contributions. First, the authors provide empirical evidence for the interplay between different actors in the “customer-FLE-technology” service triad resulting in customer repatronage. Second, the empirical findings advance the service management literature by unraveling the relationship between anthropomorphism and social presence and their effect on perceived value in the service triad. And third, the study identifies utilitarian value of service robots as a driver of customer repatronage in fast casual dining restaurants.Practical implicationsThe results help service managers, service robot engineers and designers, and policy makers to better understand the implications of anthropomorphism, and how the utilitarian value of service robots can offer the potential for augmentation or substitution roles in the service triad.Originality/valueBuilding on existing conceptual and laboratory studies on service robots, this is one of the first field studies on the service triad consisting of service robots – customers – frontline employees. The empirical study on service triads provides evidence for the potential of FLEs to augment service robots that exhibit lower levels of functional performance to achieve customer repatronage. FLEs can do this by demonstrating a high willingness to help and having excellent interactions with customers. This finding advocates the joint service delivery by FLE – service robot teams in situations where service robot technology is not fully optimized.

scholarly journals Individual Differences in Perceptions of Social Presence: Exploring the Role of Personality in Online Distance Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 188-201
Author(s):  
Joshua Weidlich ◽  
Karel Kreijns ◽  
Theo J. Bastiaens
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Online Distance Education ◽  
Trait Level ◽  
Online Distance Learning ◽  
Online Distance

Abstract Social presence is a central concept relating to interpersonal aspects in online distance learning. However, the conditions and determinants of its emergence are not yet fully understood. As a construct rooted in social psychology, the potential of individual differences predicting perceptions of social presence has been largely neglected, thus, constituting a gap in our understanding. In a sample of 201 online distance education students, the merits of a trait-level view of social presence were investigated. To this end, personality was assessed using the Big Five personality inventory, exploring both a dimensional and a typological approach. Results suggest that specific personality typologies may be more prone to perceptions of social presence, thus calling for an extension of our theoretical modeling of the construct.

scholarly journals The paradoxical thinking ‘sweet spot’: The role of recipients’ latitude of rejection in the effectiveness of paradoxical thinking messages targeting anti-refugee attitudes in Israel

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 266-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boaz Hameiri ◽  
Orly Idan ◽  
Eden Nabet ◽  
Daniel Bar-Tal ◽  
Eran Halperin
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Social Judgment ◽  
Sweet Spot ◽  
Identity Threat ◽  
Social Judgment Theory ◽  
African Refugees ◽  
Paradoxical Thinking ◽  
Refugees And Asylum Seekers

The current research examined whether for a message that is based on the paradoxical thinking principles—i.e., providing extreme, exaggerated, or even absurd views, that are congruent with the held views of the message recipients—to be effective, it needs to hit a ‘sweet spot’ and lead to a contrast effect. That is, it moderates the view of the message's recipients. In the framework of attitudes toward African refugees and asylum seekers in Israel by Israeli Jews, we found that compared to more moderate messages, an extreme, but not too extreme, message was effective in leading to unfreezing for high morally convicted recipients. The very extreme message similarly led to high levels of surprise and identity threat as the extreme message that was found to be effective. However, it was so extreme and absurd that it was rejected automatically. This was manifested in high levels of disagreement compared to all other messages, rendering it less effective compared to the extreme, paradoxical thinking, message. We discuss these findings’ practical and theoretical implications for the paradoxical thinking conceptual framework as an attitude change intervention, and for social judgment theory.

scholarly journals ‘They just don’t understand us’: The role of felt understanding in intergroup relations

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew G Livingstone ◽  
Lucía Fernández ◽  
Adrian Rothers
Keyword(s):  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Identity Threat ◽  
Powerful Predictor ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
Intergroup Interactions ◽  
Unique Predictor ◽  
Ingroup Outgroup

We report five studies examining the unique role of felt understanding in intergroup relations. In intergroup terms, felt understanding is the belief that members of an outgroup understand and accept the perspectives of ingroup members, including ingroup members’ beliefs, values, experiences, and self-definition/identity. In Studies 1 (Scotland-UK relations; N = 5033) and 2 (UK-EU relations; N = 861) felt understanding consistently and strongly predicted outcomes such as trust, action intentions, and political separatism, including participants’ actual ‘Brexit’ referendum vote in Study 2. These effects were apparent even when controlling for outgroup stereotypes and meta-stereotypes. Felt understanding was a unique predictor of outgroup trust and forgiveness in Study 3 (Catholic-Protestant relations in Northern Ireland; N = 1162), and was a powerful predictor of political separatism even when controlling for specific, relational appraisals including negative interdependence and identity threat in Study 4 (Basque-Spanish relations; N = 205). Study 5 (N = 190) included a direct manipulation of felt understanding, which had predicted effects on evaluation of the outgroup and of ingroup-outgroup relations. Overall, the findings provide converging evidence for the critical role of felt understanding in intergroup relations. We discuss future research possibilities, including the emotional correlates of felt understanding, and its role in intergroup interactions.

The role of emotions and social influences on consumer loyalty towards online travel communities

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 534-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Ruiz-Mafe ◽  
Jose Tronch ◽  
Silvia Sanz-Blas
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Social Influences ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Subjective Norm ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Interpersonal Influences ◽  
Online Travel

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of emotions and social influences on loyalty formation towards online travel communities. Design/methodology/approach The individual (perceived risk) and social (subjective norm and social presence) antecedents of emotions as well as the impact of emotions on attitude and loyalty towards online travel communities are tested through structural equation modelling techniques. The sample consists of 385 active users of online travel communities in Spain. Findings Data analysis shows that perceived privacy and security risk elicit negative emotions such as stress, frustration and fear towards the online travel community. Normative influences (subjective norm) and feeling the presence of other community members (social presence) boost positive emotions towards the online travel community. Interpersonal influences have a positive effect on subjective norm but not external influences. Positive and negative emotions affect preferences towards the online travel community (attitudes) as proposed by social impact theory. Subjective norm and attitude have a direct influence on loyalty towards an online travel community, confirming previous research grounded on theory of reasoned action models. Originality/value Despite the crucial impact of consumers’ affective states on loyalty formation, research on social media is mainly focused on the technological nature of consumer information exchanges, neglecting other drivers of consumer behaviour beyond the technology employed. This paper develops a model that integrates the relationships between consumer emotions and their individual (perceived risk) and social (social presence and subjective norm) antecedents and outcome variables (attitude and loyalty). The role of social influences is analysed, assessing the conjoint impact of one-way communication (interpersonal influences and mass media) and Web 2.0 communications (social presence) on positive emotions and loyalty formation towards the online travel community.

scholarly journals Customer experience challenges: bringing together digital, physical and social realms

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 776-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth N. Bolton ◽  
Janet R. McColl-Kennedy ◽  
Lilliemay Cheung ◽  
Andrew Gallan ◽  
Chiara Orsingher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore innovations in customer experience at the intersection of the digital, physical and social realms. It explicitly considers experiences involving new technology-enabled services, such as digital twins and automated social presence (i.e. virtual assistants and service robots).Design/methodology/approachFuture customer experiences are conceptualized within a three-dimensional space – low to high digital density, low to high physical complexity and low to high social presence – yielding eight octants.FindingsThe conceptual framework identifies eight “dualities,” or specific challenges connected with integrating digital, physical and social realms that challenge organizations to create superior customer experiences in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets. The eight dualities are opposing strategic options that organizations must reconcile when co-creating customer experiences under different conditions.Research limitations/implicationsA review of theory demonstrates that little research has been conducted at the intersection of the digital, physical and social realms. Most studies focus on one realm, with occasional reference to another. This paper suggests an agenda for future research and gives examples of fruitful ways to study connections among the three realms rather than in a single realm.Practical implicationsThis paper provides guidance for managers in designing and managing customer experiences that the authors believe will need to be addressed by the year 2050.Social implicationsThis paper discusses important societal issues, such as individual and societal needs for privacy, security and transparency. It sets out potential avenues for service innovation in these areas.Originality/valueThe conceptual framework integrates knowledge about customer experiences in digital, physical and social realms in a new way, with insights for future service research, managers and public policy makers.

Multimodal strategies for balancing formality and informality

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiko Kaneyasu
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Relational Work ◽  
Local Functions ◽  
The Social

Abstract This paper investigates multimodal strategies for balancing formality and informality online. The analysis of 300 comment-reply interactions on a recipe sharing site in Japan demonstrates that writers tend to avoid being overly formal or informal in their messages. For example, most comments and replies are written in polite forms but many incorporate some plain forms and colloquial expressions. Linguistic features, however, are not the only way through which the writers manage an appropriate level of formality and informality. The study examines the role of kaomoji or Japanese-style emoticons for socio-relational work online. Some kaomoji function locally as cues for interpreting the sentences featuring kaomoji. All kaomoji, including those with local functions, work to enhance the social presence of the writers on the screen via pictographic gaze and gestures, which increases the perception of intimate rapport. The findings underscore the importance of a multimodal perspective in examining how people handle social relationships online.

Where are the Students? Social and Learning Practices in Digital Settings

2020 ◽  
pp. 201-207
Author(s):  
Daniel Domínguez ◽  
Inés Gil-Jaurena ◽  
Javier Morentin ◽  
Belén Ballesteros ◽  
Alberto Izquierdo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Mediated Learning ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Digital Spaces

The aim of the study is to understand the role of social presence in digitally mediated learning processes and, consequently, to improve the design of the courses we teach at UNED. The spaces of greatest interaction between students are social networks and mobile instant messaging services, not only for social purposes but also for learning. That is why we are researching about students’ practices in those spaces while they are studying. In this paper, we present preliminary findings identifying if those social interactions happen within the online courses or in other digital spaces.

The Emergence of Social Presence in Learning Communities

2010 ◽  
pp. 22-38
Author(s):  
Antônio Carlos Soares Martins ◽  
Junia de Carvalho Fidelis Braga
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Graduate Program ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Human And Social Sciences ◽  
Community Of Inquiry Framework

The discussions presented herein emerged from two empirical studies in progress:“Online Learning Communities in the Realm of Complexity” and “The Complexity of Learning Environments” in the Graduate Program in Applied Linguistics at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil. One of the major pillars of both studies centers around Complexity Theory. Initially arising from the natural sciences, Complexity Theory has been gaining ground in the comprehension of human and social sciences. This chapter presents some ideas regarding the role of social presence in both blended and online learning environments, in line with the Community of Inquiry Framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000). Moreover, the authors hope to contribute to a better understanding of patterns that emerge from social interactions as well as of the ideas embedded in learning communities as complex systems.

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