How to express social presence: a comparison of perceptions of social robots’ cognitive abilities

Abstract

In light of the problems posed by an aging society and the associated challenges–particularly regarding the care and support of older citizens–questions arise concerning technological solutions. Social robots equipped with appropriate cognitive abilities can provide support in this area by reducing loneliness and social isolation through communication and personalized interaction. To this end, the robot’s perceived social presence is of crucial importance. Social presence (or co-presence) refers to the sense of being with another person and depends on how easily one feels able to access that person’s intelligence, intentions, and sensory impressions. This study examined the potential of robots’ cognitive abilities for social dialogic interactions with humans, such as (i) unrestricted conversational abilities, (ii) the incorporation of visual cues into interactions, and (iii) memories of individual encounters, and investigates the perceived social presence in each case. In addition, we evaluated the degree of anthropomorphism using the Human-Robot Interaction Evaluation Scale. Our results show a trend toward a higher degree of social presence in terms of visual perception, but only one statistically significant difference out of a total of seven questions on this topic. Memories, as well, had only one statistically significant influence, namely, on the anthropomorphic dimension of disturbance. Gender-specific differences were observed with regard to social presence and the anthropomorphic dimensions. However, these differences are most likely attributable to professional background or certain predispositions rather than to gender itself.