scholarly journals Service Robots Rising: How Humanoid Robots Influence Service Experiences and Elicit Compensatory Consumer Responses

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Mende ◽  
Maura L. Scott ◽  
Jenny van Doorn ◽  
Dhruv Grewal ◽  
Ilana Shanks
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Humanoid Robots ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Human Identity ◽  
Social Affiliation ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Compensatory Responses ◽  
Status Goods ◽  
Service Experiences

Interactions between consumers and humanoid service robots (HSRs; i.e., robots with a human-like morphology such as a face, arms, and legs) will soon be part of routine marketplace experiences. It is unclear, however, whether these humanoid robots (compared with human employees) will trigger positive or negative consequences for consumers and companies. Seven experimental studies reveal that consumers display compensatory responses when they interact with an HSR rather than a human employee (e.g., they favor purchasing status goods, seek social affiliation, and order and eat more food). The authors investigate the underlying process driving these effects, and they find that HSRs elicit greater consumer discomfort (i.e., eeriness and a threat to human identity), which in turn results in the enhancement of compensatory consumption. Moreover, this research identifies boundary conditions of the effects such that the compensatory responses that HSRs elicit are (1) mitigated when consumer-perceived social belongingness is high, (2) attenuated when food is perceived as more healthful, and (3) buffered when the robot is machinized (rather than anthropomorphized).

scholarly journals Evaluating Others If They Stand Up for Their Moral Convictions, and Evaluating Ourselves If We Don't Stand Up

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florien M. Cramwinckel ◽  
Kees van den Bos ◽  
Eric van Dijk
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Moral Courage ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
Moral Beliefs ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Situational Demands ◽  
Moral Convictions

AbstractActing on one’s moral principles is not always easy. Upholding one’s moral beliefs may run counter to one’s social environment or situational demands. It may often cause people to remain silent on their convictions, while at the same time some may show the moral courage to speak out. How do people evaluate those who do stand up, and how does it affect their self-evaluations? In two experimental studies (Ns = 207 and 204), we investigated both types of evaluations. The studies demonstrate that people who failed to uphold their moral beliefs still had positive evaluations of others who showed moral courage. More specifically, pro-gay participants who went along with writing an anti-gay essay denouncing equal rights for sexual minorities had positive evaluations of another person who spoke up and refused this task. The failure to display moral courage had negative consequences for participants’ self-concepts. In Experiment 1, we show that pro-gay participants’ positive self-concepts were lowered after writing an anti-gay essay (vs. a pro-gay essay). In Experiment 2, we reveal that participants' positive self-concepts were lowered only when they were confronted with morally courageous behavior and their own failure to uphold their moral beliefs was visible to the experimenter.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Durability of Green Cement Mortar Using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity

2021 ◽  
Vol 877 (1) ◽  
pp. 012049
Author(s):  
Ali Abdulridha ◽  
Saif S. AlQuzweeni ◽  
Rasha S. AlKizwini ◽  
Zahra A. Saleh ◽  
K. S. Hashem
Keyword(s):  
Silica Fume ◽  
Cement Mortar ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity ◽  
Ultrasonic Pulse ◽  
Pulse Velocity ◽  
Cement Kiln Dust ◽  
Cement Kiln ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Kiln Dust

Abstract Various experimental studies have highlighted the negative consequences of Portland cement on health and the environment, such as toxic emissions and alkaline sewage. The development of environmentally acceptable substitutes for cement is thus one of the objectives of current investigations. The proposed environmental alternatives to cement, nevertheless, might have detrimental impacts on the concrete’s characteristics. This investigation intends to study the suitability as alternatives to cement in cement mortar, using industrial wastes like silica fume and cement kiln dust. As a replacement for cement, the cement mortars developed in this research continue from 0% to 60% silica fume and cement kiln dust. Ultrasonic pulse velocity tests at 1 to 4 weeks of age were conducted on hardened specimens. The findings showed that a low reduction in the pulse velocity resulted from high proportions of silica fume and cement kiln dust replacements, whereas an improvement in the characteristics of the mortars with low replacement ratios. Using low kiln dust and silica fume of 20 to 40%, the durability of mortars may increase.

Slogans With Negations’ Effect on Sustainable Luxury Brand

2021 ◽  
pp. 183933492110466
Author(s):  
Felix Septianto ◽  
Joya Kemper ◽  
Gavin Northey
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Brand Attitudes ◽  
Luxury Brands ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Luxury Brand ◽  
The Impact

The integration of sustainability within luxury brands is of increasing concern to practitioners and academics alike. Thus, it is important to consider how brands can develop effective communication strategies to promote sustainable luxury brands, particularly among an increasingly skeptical consumer base. This research thus investigates the impact of advertising slogans with negations (vs. affirmations) in this regard. Three experimental studies show that advertising slogans with negations (vs. affirmations) increase brand trustworthiness (Studies 1 and 3) and favorable brand attitudes (Studies 1 and 2) among consumers with high levels of skepticism. Notably, this effect is driven by an increased cognitive flexibility (Study 3). The findings of this research can assist sustainable luxury brand managers in developing effective communication strategies to increase favorable consumer responses to sustainable luxury brands.

Efficient Actor-Critic Reinforcement Learning With Embodiment of Muscle Tone for Posture Stabilization of the Human Arm

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-156
Author(s):  
Masami Iwamoto ◽  
Daichi Kato
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Muscle Tone ◽  
Muscle Tension ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Control Policy ◽  
Humanoid Robots ◽  
Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus ◽  
Learning Efficiency ◽  
Human Arm ◽  
Posture Stabilization

This letter proposes a new idea to improve learning efficiency in reinforcement learning (RL) with the actor-critic method used as a muscle controller for posture stabilization of the human arm. Actor-critic RL (ACRL) is used for simulations to realize posture controls in humans or robots using muscle tension control. However, it requires very high computational costs to acquire a better muscle control policy for desirable postures. For efficient ACRL, we focused on embodiment that is supposed to potentially achieve efficient controls in research fields of artificial intelligence or robotics. According to the neurophysiology of motion control obtained from experimental studies using animals or humans, the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTn) induces muscle tone suppression, and the midbrain locomotor region (MLR) induces muscle tone promotion. PPTn and MLR modulate the activation levels of mutually antagonizing muscles such as flexors and extensors in a process through which control signals are translated from the substantia nigra reticulata to the brain stem. Therefore, we hypothesized that the PPTn and MLR could control muscle tone, that is, the maximum values of activation levels of mutually antagonizing muscles using different sigmoidal functions for each muscle; then we introduced antagonism function models (AFMs) of PPTn and MLR for individual muscles, incorporating the hypothesis into the process to determine the activation level of each muscle based on the output of the actor in ACRL. ACRL with AFMs representing the embodiment of muscle tone successfully achieved posture stabilization in five joint motions of the right arm of a human adult male under gravity in predetermined target angles at an earlier period of learning than the learning methods without AFMs. The results obtained from this study suggest that the introduction of embodiment of muscle tone can enhance learning efficiency in posture stabilization disorders of humans or humanoid robots.

Neural Foundations of Variability in Attachment

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allyson J. Bennett ◽  
William D. Hopkins ◽  
Ruth Feldman ◽  
Valeria Gazzola ◽  
Jay Giedd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Development ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Single Type ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
The Social ◽  
Insight Into

Neuroscience offers insight into processes that support the development of the social brain within the cultural contexts that permit attachment relationships to form. Both human and nonhuman animal studies are critical to inform theory development and hypothesis testing via descriptive and experimental studies. A scientifically valid evolutionary theory is necessary to account for the remarkable diversity of parenting systems across human and many nonhuman animals. This chapter examines the neural foundations of attachment and poses critical questions that relate to the initiation of this relationship: How does attachment interface with brain development? What is the interplay between attachment and brain development (including elements of bidirectionality)? Are there negative consequences associated with variation in attachment, and are they reversible? Rather than conceptualizing attachment in terms of a single type of relationship, or a rigid developmental channel, this chapter proposes that an expanded consideration of variation is necessary to understand the neural foundations of infant-caregiver relationships, and the role of those relationships in developing competence across the life span. This approach will permit identification of common neurobiological elements of attachment as well as the remarkable plasticity and diversity within and across individuals, cultures, and species.

scholarly journals Robotic System for Physical Training of Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omri Avioz-Sarig ◽  
Samuel Olatunji ◽  
Vardit Sarne-Fleischmann ◽  
Yael Edan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Humanoid Robots ◽  
Robotic System ◽  
User Preferences ◽  
Robotic Systems ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Physical Exercises ◽  
Python Programming

Abstract Physical exercise has many physical, psychological and social health benefits leading to improved life quality. This paper presents a robotic system developed as a personal coach for older adults aiming to motivate older adults to participate in physical activities. The robot instructs the participants, demonstrates the exercises and provides real-time corrective and positive feedback according to the participant’s performance as monitored by an RGB-D camera. Two robotic systems based on two different humanoid robots (Nao, toy-like and Poppy, mechanical-like) were developed and implemented using the Python programming language. Experimental studies with 32 older adults were conducted, to determine the preferable mode and timing of the feedback provided to the user to accommodate user preferences, motivate the users and improve their interaction with the system. Additionally, user preferences with regards to the two different humanoid robots used were explored. The results revealed that the system motivated the older adults to engage more in physical exercises. The type and timing of feedback influenced this engagement. Most of these older adults also perceived the system as very useful, easy to use, had a positive attitude towards the system and noted their intention to use it. Most users preferred the more mechanical looking robot (Poppy) over the toy-like robot (Nao).

scholarly journals Personalizing the Customization Experience: A Matching Theory of Mass Customization Interfaces and Cultural Information Processing

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 1050-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel de Bellis ◽  
Christian Hildebrand ◽  
Kenichi Ito ◽  
Andreas Herrmann ◽  
Bernd Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Mass Customization ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Matching Theory ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Processing Style ◽  
Consumer Markets ◽  
Scale Field ◽  
Large Scale Field

Mass customization interfaces typically guide consumers through the configuration process in a sequential manner, focusing on one product attribute after the other. What if this standardized customization experience were personalized for consumers on the basis of how they process information? A series of large-scale field and experimental studies, conducted with Western and Eastern consumers, shows that matching the interface to consumers’ culture-specific processing style enhances the effectiveness of mass customization. Specifically, presenting the same information isolated (by attribute) to Western consumers but contextualized (by alternative) to Eastern consumers increases satisfaction with and likelihood of purchasing the configured product, along with the amount of money spent on the product. These positive consumer responses emerge because of an increase in “interface fluency”—consumers’ subjective experience of ease when using the interface. The authors advise firms to personalize the customization experience by employing processing-congruent interfaces across consumer markets.

Not too many but also not too few

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Uhrich ◽  
Michael Luck
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Retail Stores ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Sales Personnel ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the theoretical mechanisms that underlie the negative effects of low customer density on shoppers' emotions and behavioural responses in retail settings.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses three different qualitative techniques to explore the research question: semi‐structured interviews, shopping with consumers, and focus groups.FindingsThree major issues contribute to unfavorable consumer responses to low customer density levels in retail stores: exposure to undesired social influence from sales personnel; loss of social cues and evaluation criteria; and lack of social stimulation.Practical implicationsThe findings of this research assist store managers to resolve the problems associated with low customer density in retail stores. For example, the results suggest that the negative effects of low customer density can be mitigated by providing appropriate training for sales staff as well as by actively communicating the quality, price level, and image of the store.Originality/valueEmpirical evidence shows that the effects of customer density on shopper outcomes follow an inverted U‐shaped trend. Previous research has focused on explaining the negative consequences of high customer density, while the explanatory mechanisms for the negative effects of low customer density remain largely unclear. This research partially fills this gap in the literature by identifying the psychological processes that account for the negative effects of low customer density.

scholarly journals Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny van Doorn ◽  
Martin Mende ◽  
Stephanie M. Noble ◽  
John Hulland ◽  
Amy L. Ostrom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Humanoid Robots ◽  
Psychological Ownership ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
The Relationship

Technology is rapidly changing the nature of service, customers’ service frontline experiences, and customers’ relationships with service providers. Based on the prediction that in the marketplace of 2025, technology (e.g., service-providing humanoid robots) will be melded into numerous service experiences, this article spotlights technology’s ability to engage customers on a social level as a critical advancement of technology infusions. Specifically, it introduces the novel concept of automated social presence (ASP; i.e., the extent to which technology makes customers feel the presence of another social entity) to the services literature. The authors develop a typology that highlights different combinations of automated and human social presence in organizational frontlines and indicates literature gaps, thereby emphasizing avenues for future research. Moreover, the article presents a conceptual framework that focuses on (a) how the relationship between ASP and several key service and customer outcomes is mediated by social cognition and perceptions of psychological ownership as well as (b) three customer-related factors that moderate the relationship between ASP and social cognition and psychological ownership (i.e., a customer’s relationship orientation, tendency to anthropomorphize, and technology readiness). Finally, propositions are presented that can be a catalyst for future work to enhance the understanding of how technology infusion, particularly service robots, influences customers’ frontline experiences in the future.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document