What Does it Mean to Measure Mind Perception toward Robots? A Critical Review of the Main Self-Report Instruments

Although most studies that seek to measure participants’ judgments and attitudes regarding humanoid robots’ possessing (or appearing to possess) a mind or mental capacities have been based on verbal measures, there is yet no standard psychometric instrument for this end. Using a COSMIN approach, this critical review seeks to summarize the most valid and reliable self-report instruments that aim to measure mental state attribution to humanoid robots. 501 papers were reviewed, but only 11 were included, finding that: (1) The instruments do not usually measure mental state attribution toward robots as an exclusive phenomenon but as a factor associated with the tendency to anthropomorphize non-human entities; (2) There is a lack of consensus regarding a definition of mental state attribution and the psychometric dimensions that underlie it; (3) The tendency to anthropomorphize does not by itself imply the attribution of mind to robots. In our discussion, we delve into the general problem of mind perception/attribution and speculate on the possible theoretical basis for a multifactorial model for measuring mind perception as part of a broader phenomenon we term “psycheidolia.”