The Effects of Socio-relational Context and Robotization on Human Group

Abstract

Nunchi is a high context communication skill which makes an individual understand the counterpart’s indirect social cues and respond appropriately. Robotic things can perceive and recognize situations, and express appropriate responses to situations. Thus, this study was conducted with the expectation that the robotic things equipped with Nunchi, which understand the situation well and behave appropriately instead of the workers, would allow the workers to focus on their work. In order to investigate the effect of robotization of the objects on the degree to which Nunchi is required for the participant, task load, and the impression of objects according to the socio-relational context, a 2 (socio-relational context: stranger group vs. friend group) X 2 (robotization: robotic things vs. baseline things) mixed-participant experiment was designed. As a result, participants evaluated robotic things as more useful and social than baseline things. In addition, Nunchi was required less for the people in the stranger group when robotic things were used in their work than when baseline things were used. Finally, participants felt their task load reduced when the robotic things were used.