Spontaneous humanization of robots in passive observation of human-robot interaction: A path toward ethical consideration and human-robot cooperation

As humanoid robots become more prevalent, understanding how people form initial representations of and attitudes towards these agents is crucial. This study investigated whether observing a human's emotional reactions towards a robot in a passive human-robot interaction influences the spontaneous humanization and mental state attributions of the robot, and subsequent ethical considerations and cooperation. In Experiment 1, Japanese and British participants observed videos of a human interacting emotionally or neutrally with a Pepper robot and then assessed the robot. Results showed the emotional video elicited more humanization and intentionality attributions towards the robot, subsequently predicting greater ethical concern, especially among Japanese participants. In Experiment 2, observing human emotional engagement increased cooperation with the robot in a Prisoner's Dilemma game through enhanced humanization and intentionality attributions. The findings suggest that passive observation of human-robot interactions can shape the representation, attribution, and treatment of robots based on culture and situational cues. This highlights the need to consider social factors that may influence people's developing relationships with robots.