Non-immersive robot teleoperation does not reliably affect egocentric dishonesty but can influence altruistic...

Robot teleoperation enables action through an artificial body while physically elsewhere. We examined whether non-immersive, screen-based teleoperation of the humanoid robot iCub induces embodiment, the sense that the robot's body feels like one's own, and whether embodiment affects dishonest behavior compared to acting with one's real body. Participants performed a task either in person or via teleoperation in a first-person (1 PP) or third-person (3 PP) perspective. Both teleoperation modes produced a small but significant sense of embodiment and high agency over the robot, with stronger location illusion in 1 PP than 3 PP. Overall, embodiment and perspective did not influence dishonesty aimed to increase one's reward, i.e., egocentric dishonesty. However, in 3 PP, the egocentric dishonesty correlated positively with specific embodiment experiences: feeling out of one's body, having more than one body, and sensing one's actions affected by the robot. Moreover, participants were also more generous, showing altruistic dishonesty, toward their partner in 1 PP than in 3 PP. Results are discussed in relation to embodiment and moral decision-making.