Promotors or inhibitors? Role of task type on the effect of humanoid service robots on consumers' use intention. Issue 6 (18th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lin, Meizhen; Cui, Xiangtian; Wang, Jingqiang; Wu, Guihua; Lin, Jingyuan
• Is Part Of: Journal of hospitality marketing & management. Volume 31:Issue 6(2022)
• Page Start: 710
• Page End: 729
• Publication Date: 2022-08-18
• Subjects: Anthropomorphic service robots -- consumers' use intention -- discomfort -- task attraction -- mechanical tasks -- emotional-social tasks; Hospitality industry -- Marketing -- Periodicals; Leisure industry -- Marketing -- Periodicals; 338.47910688
• DOI: 10.1080/19368623.2022.2062693
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1936-8623

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Despite the pervasiveness of service robots in hospitality industry, it is unclear how highly human-like service robots elicit aversive effect on consumers' use intention in addition to discomfort and when the aversive effect can be mitigated. Three experimental studies were conducted, showing that highly human-like service robots elicit greater consumer discomfort and decrease task attraction toward robots, in turn weakening consumers' use interaction. Moreover, this research identified that emotional-social tasks (vs. mechanical tasks) mitigated the aversive effects of highly human-like service robots on consumers' responses. The research extends the uncanny valley and mind perception theories and offers some guidelines for employing service robots with different degree of anthropomorphism.