PiqueABoo

Women were more willing to deactivate a malfunctioning robot, thereby erasing its memories, even though the robot pleaded with them not to do so. As robots become increasingly integrated into everyday life, evolved psychological mechanisms originally adapted for human social interaction may shape responses to artificial agents in ways that are no longer functionally appropriate. Drawing on an evolutionary psychology framework, the present study examined how anthropomorphism, empathy, and systemizing influence decisions involving a humanoid home robot. Participants then read a scenario in which the manufacturer instructed them to reset the malfunctioning robot, thereby erasing its memories, while the robot pleaded not to be deactivated. The reset was requested because a manufacturing defect had been identified, although its potential consequences were unpredictable. Stronger anthropomorphic tendencies predicted lower willingness to deactivate the robot, whereas higher systemizing predicted greater willingness. Empathy did not predict the decision itself but was associated with greater anticipated discomfort, together with anthropomorphism, while systemizing predicted lower discomfort. Participant gender also influenced willingness to deactivate the robot, with women showing greater willingness than men, although no gender differences emerged in anticipated discomfort. [The paper explicitly notes this result was contrary to the authors’ expectations based on typical gender differences: women generally score higher on empathy and anthropomorphism (which predicted lower willingness to deactivate), while men tend to score higher on systemizing (which predicted higher willingness). In the introduction, the authors raise the possibility that gender differences in threat perception, risk assessment, and decision-making strategies could lead women to prioritize functional/instrumental considerations (e.g., the manufacturer’s warning about unpredictable risks to the household) over relational ones when faced with a pleading robot. However, the discussion simply reports the gender difference in willingness.]