Robot 'gender' can influence human choices, decision making
Technology
Their work shows that the gender traits assigned to service robots
(Web Desk) - Robots are increasingly common in the hospitality industry, assisting with guest guidance, meal delivery, and even menu recommendations.
But something as subtle as a robot’s “gender” might shape how customers respond to these interactions – especially when the customer feels unsure or lacks confidence.
That’s the focus of a new study from researchers at the Penn State School of Hospitality Management.
Their work shows that the gender traits assigned to service robots – like a masculine name or voice – can sway how customers make decisions. Their experiments also revealed how cute robot designs might help tone down this influence.
The study looked at how people react to service robots depending on how powerful or confident they feel.
According to the researchers, robots are often designed to mimic human features – from names and voices to colors and shapes. These features suggest gender. But how people respond to these features isn’t one-size-fits-all.
“Robots can be designed or programmed to have human-like features like names, voices, and body shapes, which portray gender,” said study co-author Anna Mattila.
“In addition to robot gender, a consumer’s sense of power – how individuals perceive their ability to influence others or their environment – can also affect how successful a service robot can be in making recommendations.”
To test this, the researchers conducted two studies. In the first, 239 participants were asked to imagine dining at a new restaurant. Before interacting with a robot server, they assessed their own feelings of power.
The robot then recommended a breakfast burrito, and participants rated how persuasive the robot was.
The robot’s design was altered slightly to show gender – using pink to suggest a female robot and gray to suggest a male one. Everything else stayed the same.
“We found women with a low sense of power were more prone to accept a male robot’s recommendations,” said study lead author Lavi Peng.
“For men with a low sense of power, we found the difference was less obvious. Based on our findings, consumers with high power tend to make their own judgement without relying on societal expectations. They are more confident and want to make decisions based off their own judgment.”
This suggests that gender cues from robots can influence decision-making, particularly for customers who don’t feel in control. The researchers say this insight could help restaurants and hotels tailor their robot features to encourage upsells or promote new offerings.
“Upselling and upgrading are all about persuasion, and the results of our study suggested robots with male characteristics could be effective,” Peng said.
“If a business knows its customer is female, it may want to consider using a robot with different gender characteristics than it would with a male customer.”
