Project 5

Personality plays a crucial role in the quality of human-robot interactions. However, research in this area is fragmented and lacks a coherent framework, making it difficult to understand existing knowledge and identify gaps. As robots become more common in organizations and society, it is essential to understand how personality affects these interactions.

In the first phase of my research, we explored how personality similarities and differences impact interactions between humans and automated vehicles (AVs), focusing on the Big Five personality traits. Through a nationwide survey of over 400 individuals, we found that positive perceptions increased when both human and AV personalities were similar and high in specific traits. Differences in personality led to heightened safety perceptions only when the AV outscored the human in a particular trait. These effects were mainly observed in agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability, with no significant impact on extraversion or openness to experience. Additionally, we discovered that the relationship between personality and AV safety is influenced by risky driving situations.

In the second phase, we investigated the role of personality in a broader context, focusing on human-robot interactions (HRI) with embodied physical action (EPA) robots. We conducted a comprehensive literature review to analyze existing research on personality and EPA robots, identifying knowledge gaps and providing guidance for future studies. This process led to the development of a conceptual integrated model of the literature on personality in HRI, emphasizing four major areas: Human Personality and HRI, Robot Personality and HRI, Robot Personality and HRI, and Factors Impacting Robot Personality.

This work helps organize and understand the literature on personality in HRI, highlighting the unique role of personality in human-robot research. By developing a coherent framework, this research provides a foundation for future investigations, aiming to enhance our understanding of how personality influences human-robot interactions and improve the deployment of robots in various settings.

Publications

• Robert Jr, L. P., Alahmad, R., Esterwood, C., Kim, S., You, S., & Zhang, Q. (2020). A review of personality in human–robot interactions. Foundations and Trends® in Information Systems, 4(2), 107-212.
• Zhang, Q., Esterwood, C., Yang, X. J., & Robert Jr, L. P. (2019). An automated vehicle (av) like me? the impact of personality similarities and differences between humans and avs. arXiv preprint arXiv:1909.11766.