Perception and Evaluation in Human–Robot Interaction: The Human–Robot Interaction Evaluation Scale (HRIES)—A Multicomponent Approach of Anthropomorphism

Abstract

The evaluation of how (human) individuals perceive robots is a central issue to better understand human–robot interaction (HRI). On this topic, promising proposals have emerged. However, present tools are not able to assess a sufficient part of the composite psychological dimensions involved in the evaluation of HRI. Indeed, the percentage of variance explained is often under the recommended threshold for a construct to be valid. In this article, we consolidate the lessons learned from three different studies and propose a further developed questionnaire based on a multicomponent approach of anthropomorphism by adding traits from psychosocial theory about the perception of others and the attribution and deprivation of human characteristics: the de-humanization theory. Among these characteristics, the attribution of agency is of main interest in the field of social robotics as it has been argued that robots could be considered as intentional agents. Factor analyses reveal a four sub-dimensions scale including Sociability, Agency, Animacy, and the Disturbance. We discuss the implication(s) of these dimensions on future perception of and attitudes towards robots.