The Effects of Robot Chef Anthropomorphizm and Power on Consumer’s Taste Judgment: Focusing on the Mediation Effect of Perceived Flexibility

Abstract

The goal of the study is to examine the impact of the anthropomorphism of a robot chef and consumers' psychological power levels on consumers’ taste expectations in a restaurant setting. As robot chefs becomes popular in the dining industry, consumers may rely on the robot's appearance as an extrinsic cue to judge food quality. Anthropomorphism tends to be higher among consumers with low psychological power levels, driven by a desire to compensate for power deficiency through non-human entities. Conversely, high-power consumers exhibit lower intention to rely on anthropomorphism. Two lab experiments are conducted to test the hypotheses. The results reveal that psychological power moderates the influence of anthropomorphism on taste expectations. Low-power consumers expect more flexible and tastier food from an anthropomorphized robot chef. However, this effect is diminished for high-power consumers. These findings provide practical insights into the interplay between psychological power, anthropomorphism, and taste expectations in the context of robot chefs in the dining industry.