Leveraging “human-likeness” of robotic service at restaurants
TL;DR: This paper investigated how service robots' varying levels of human-likeness of attributes (i.e., visual, vocal and verbal) influence consumption outcomes (e.g., service encounter evaluation, revisit intentions and positive word of mouth intentions).
About: This article is published in International Journal of Hospitality Management.The article was published on 2021-04-01. It has received 74 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Appraisal theory.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore customer value perceptions of service robots and their impact on customers' attitudes and behaviors toward robotic restaurants, finding that customers' willingness to use and to pay more for robotic restaurants are determined by their attitudes toward robots, which are influenced by functional, conditional, epistemic, emotional, co-creation, and social values.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the restaurant industry due to enforced closures and limitations on social gatherings, prompting restaurateurs to innovate and adapt in order to ensure the viability of their businesses. Pandemic has also induced changes in our perceptions of safety in public spaces, necessitating the adoption of social distancing and more widespread use of online platforms for purchasing and communication. While the pandemic might be a catalyst for the adoption of contactless technologies, some restaurateurs remain hesitant to invest in service robots because they are not convinced of the return on investment and the potential value service robots can deliver to their customers. Therefore, this study aims to explore customer value perceptions of service robots and their impact on customers’ attitudes and behaviors toward robotic restaurants. Findings yielded by a survey of 445 potential diners in Taiwan show that customers’ willingness to use and to pay more for robotic restaurants are determined by their attitudes toward robots, which are influenced by functional, conditional, epistemic, emotional, co-creation, and social values. Our survey results also reveal that the importance of conditional value is amplified by crisis-specific antecedents, namely the need for physical distancing and mysophobia. These findings have implications for restaurant pricing policies and can be considered by restaurant managers when formulating strategies aimed at sustaining their business in these challenging times. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] 由于强制关闭和限制社交聚会，COVID-19大流行严重影响了餐饮业，促使餐馆经营者进行创新和调整，以确保其业务的生存能力. 流感大流行还导致我们对公共场所安全的看法发生了变化，这就需要采用社交距离，并更广泛地使用在线购物和交流平台. 虽然这种流行病可能是采用非接触式技术的催化剂，但一些餐馆老板仍然对投资服务机器人犹豫不决，因为他们不相信服务机器人能给顾客带来的投资回报和潜在价值. 因此，本研究旨在探讨顾客对服务机器人的价值认知及其对顾客对机器人餐厅态度与行为的影响. 对台湾445位潜在食客的调查结果显示，顾客对机器人餐厅的态度决定了他们对机器人餐厅的使用意愿和支付意愿，这些态度受到功能、条件、认知、情感、共同创造和社会价值观的影响. 我们的调查结果还显示，条件价值的重要性被特定危机的前因放大，即需要身体距离和神秘恐惧症. 这些发现对餐厅定价政策有一定的启示，可供餐厅经理在制定策略时加以考虑，以期在这个充满挑战的时代维持其业务. (Chinese) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
44 citations
Cites background from "Leveraging “human-likeness” of robo..."
...Because robots are immune to viruses, robot chefs and waiters have become an ideal option for reducing human contact and enhancing food safety and sanitation (Lu et al., 2021; Seyitoğlu & Ivanov, 2020b)....
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TL;DR: In this article, a high-empathy response that adopts multisensory stimulus interactions (text and voice) could strengthen the recovery effect of empathy responses, and psychological distance and trust are sequential mediators in this process.
43 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the implications of integrating humanoid service robots into hospitality service encounters by evaluating two service prototypes using Softbank Robotics' popular service robot Pepper™: to provide information (akin to a receptionist) and to facilitate order-taking (in to a server).
Abstract: This paper aims to explore the implications of integrating humanoid service robots into hospitality service encounters by evaluating two service prototypes using Softbank Robotics’ popular service robot Pepper™: to provide information (akin to a receptionist) and to facilitate order-taking (akin to a server). Drawing both studies together, the paper puts forward novel, theory-informed yet context-rooted design principles for humanoid robot adoption in hospitality service encounters.,Adopting a multiple method qualitative approach, two service prototypes are evaluated with hospitality and tourism experts (N = 30, Prototype 1) and frontline hospitality employees (N = 18, Prototype 2) using participant observation, in situ feedback, semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation.,The adoption of humanoid service robots in hospitality is influenced by the following four layers of determinants: contextual, social, interactional and psychological factors, as well as extrinsic and intrinsic drivers of adoption. These empirical findings both confirm and extend previous conceptualizations of human-robot interaction (HRI) in hospitality service.,Despite using photo-elicitation to evoke insight regarding the use of different types of service robots in hospitality, the paper mostly focuses on anthropomorphized service robots such as Pepper™.,Adopting humanoid service robots will transform hospitality operations, whereby the most routine, unpleasant tasks such as taking repeat orders or dealing with complaints may be delegated to service robots or human-robot teams.,Working with and receiving service from Pepper™ changes the service encounter from direct practical, technical considerations to more nuanced social and psychological implications, particularly around feelings of self-esteem, social pressure and social judgment.,This paper presents one of the first empirical studies on HRI in hospitality service encounters using Softbank Robotics’ Pepper™. In doing so, the paper presents a novel framework for service robot adoption rooted in first-hand user interaction as opposed to previous, theory-driven conceptualizations of behavior or empirical studies exploring behavioral intention.
38 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , a high-empathic response that adopts multisensory stimulus interactions (text and voice) could strengthen the recovery effect of empathy responses, and psychological distance and trust are sequential mediators in this process.
31 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors investigated the role of three interrelated agility capabilities -customer, partnering, and operational - in enabling tourism organizations to leverage digital technologies to produce and/or deliver customer value, while responding to tensions inherent within each agility dimension.
30 citations
References
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TL;DR: Findings indicate that MTurk can be used to obtain high-quality data inexpensively and rapidly and the data obtained are at least as reliable as those obtained via traditional methods.
Abstract: Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a relatively new website that contains the major elements required to conduct research: an integrated participant compensation system; a large participant pool; and a streamlined process of study design, participant recruitment, and data collection. In this article, we describe and evaluate the potential contributions of MTurk to psychology and other social sciences. Findings indicate that (a) MTurk participants are slightly more demographically diverse than are standard Internet samples and are significantly more diverse than typical American college samples; (b) participation is affected by compensation rate and task length, but participants can still be recruited rapidly and inexpensively; (c) realistic compensation rates do not affect data quality; and (d) the data obtained are at least as reliable as those obtained via traditional methods. Overall, MTurk can be used to obtain high-quality data inexpensively and rapidly.
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TL;DR: The context for socially interactive robots is discussed, emphasizing the relationship to other research fields and the different forms of “social robots”, and a taxonomy of design methods and system components used to build socially interactive Robots is presented.
2,869 citations
TL;DR: A theory to explain when people are likely to anthropomorphize and when they are not is described, focused on three psychological determinants--the accessibility and applicability of anthropocentric knowledge, the motivation to explain and understand the behavior of other agents, and the desire for social contact and affiliation.
Abstract: Anthropomorphism describes the tendency to imbue the real or imagined behavior of nonhuman agents with humanlike characteristics, motivations, intentions, or emotions. Although surprisingly common, anthropomorphism is not invariant. This article describes a theory to explain when people are likely to anthropomorphize and when they are not, focused on three psychological determinants--the accessibility and applicability of anthropocentric knowledge (elicited agent knowledge), the motivation to explain and understand the behavior of other agents (effectance motivation), and the desire for social contact and affiliation (sociality motivation). This theory predicts that people are more likely to anthropomorphize when anthropocentric knowledge is accessible and applicable, when motivated to be effective social agents, and when lacking a sense of social connection to other humans. These factors help to explain why anthropomorphism is so variable; organize diverse research; and offer testable predictions about dispositional, situational, developmental, and cultural influences on anthropomorphism. Discussion addresses extensions of this theory into the specific psychological processes underlying anthropomorphism, applications of this theory into robotics and human-computer interaction, and the insights offered by this theory into the inverse process of dehumanization.
1,960 citations
TL;DR: A literature review has been performed on the measurements of five key concepts in HRI: anthropomorphism, animacy, likeability, perceived intelligence, and perceived safety, distilled into five consistent questionnaires using semantic differential scales.
Abstract: This study emphasizes the need for standardized measurement tools for human robot interaction (HRI). If we are to make progress in this field then we must be able to compare the results from different studies. A literature review has been performed on the measurements of five key concepts in HRI: anthropomorphism, animacy, likeability, perceived intelligence, and perceived safety. The results have been distilled into five consistent questionnaires using semantic differential scales. We report reliability and validity indicators based on several empirical studies that used these questionnaires. It is our hope that these questionnaires can be used by robot developers to monitor their progress. Psychologists are invited to further develop the questionnaires by adding new concepts, and to conduct further validations where it appears necessary.
1,889 citations