Announcing the Final Examination of Fernando Montalvo for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Psychology – Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology
A primary design goal of companion social robots is to increase a user’s perceived level of companionship. One way to examine perceived companionship is through parasocial presence. In the scope of human-technology interactions, parasocial presence can be defined as the extent to which the technology promotes, whether as a medium or by itself, the perception of understanding, social connection, engagement, and intimacy. One specific aspect of parasocial relationships which has been explored in human-robot interaction is para-friendship, or the sense of self-disclosure and social support a person perceives in a parasocial relationship. The present research examined how the relationship between a user’s personality and the perceived personality of a companion social robot influences the relationship of intimacy, understanding, enjoyability, and involvement on para-friendship. This research also investigated whether the user and robot’s personalities affect para-friendship and the intention to use the robot as a social companion. Results showed that some aspects of personality similarity do impact parasocial presence, an effect which is stronger among older participants. Additionally, higher parasocial presence led to higher perceived parasocial friendship, and intention to use. The findings help shed additional understanding on the way personality impacts social robot user experience, especially the parasocial aspects, and intention to purchase or use the robot.
Committee in Charge
Committee Chair: Dr. Janan A. Smither
Department Committee Member: Dr. James Szalma
Department Committee Member: Dr. Daniel S. McConnell
Outside Committee Member: Dr. Patric Spence
Read More