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Characterization of the Sense of Agency over the Actions of Neural-machine Interface-operated Prostheses

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Robots are both anthropomorphized and dehumanized when harmed intentionally.

Marieke S Wieringa¹, Barbara C N Müller², Gijsbert Bijlstra²

¹University of Groningen, Campus Fryslân, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. m.s.wieringa@rug.nl.

Communications Psychology

|September 6, 2024

Summary

Witnessing harm to robots increases their perceived mind capacity, but this effect isn't amplified by emotional simulation. Harming robots also makes people seem less prosocial.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Human-Robot Interaction
Artificial Intelligence Ethics

Background:

The harm-made mind phenomenon suggests that observing harm to agents with ambiguous minds, like robots, enhances their perceived mental capacities.
Previous research indicates that witnessing harm can lead to increased mind attribution in artificial agents.

Purpose of the Study:

To replicate and extend the harm-made mind effect by investigating the role of robot emotion detection and simulation.
To examine whether harming robots influences perceptions of human prosociality.
To analyze the direct and indirect effects of harm on robot mind perception.

Main Methods:

Two replications of existing studies on the harm-made mind effect.
Experimental manipulation of robot emotion detection and simulation capabilities.
Assessment of participants' mind perception and prosocial judgments towards robots.

Main Results:

The harm-made mind effect was replicated, with harmed robots attributed higher pain capacity.
No significant difference was found in the harm-made mind effect based on the robot's emotion simulation abilities.
Harm had a positive indirect effect on mind perception via pain capacity, but a negative direct effect, indicating both anthropomorphism and dehumanization.
Individuals were perceived as less prosocial when harming robots compared to treating them kindly.

Conclusions:

Intentional harm towards robots augments their perceived capacity for pain and mind, but this effect is not modulated by their emotional simulation abilities.
The act of harming robots leads to conflicting perceptions: increased anthropomorphism (via pain perception) and dehumanization (direct effect of harm).
Harming robots negatively impacts the perception of the perpetrator's prosocial behavior.