Tomohiro Suzuki (Tokyo Future Univ.) Sachie Yamada (Tokai Univ.) Takayuki Kanda (ATR-IRC) Tatsuya Nomura (Ryukoku Univ. / ATR-IRC)

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 Surveys about types of robots that people assume about humanoid and animal-type robots  Nomura et al. (2008)  Surveys about types of roles that people expect for robots  Takayama et al. (2008) 3

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 Q1: Do people prefer robots vs. humans as communication partners for different roles and situations in daily life?  Q2: How do social avoidance and distress influence the communication partner preferences? 6

 Participants:  206 Japanese university and special training school students (Men: 103, Women: 103; Age range: 20–29; Mean: 25.2; SD: 2.91)  Administration: An online survey was conducted in March Participants were recruited through an online survey company. 7

 Twenty-five roles and situations were presented.  Participants’ preferences for robots vs. humans as communication partners were answered.  These items were developed for this survey.  Participants were not presented with a clear definition (e.g., humanoid type) of a robot so they can think about their own image of it.  the participants were asked to select either a human or a robot as a communication partner for each role and situation. 8

 Japanese version of the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS; Ishikawa et al., 1992, Watson & Friend, 1969)  SADS was originally developed by Watson & Friend (1969)  This scale includes 28 true-false items.  This scale can assess the tendency of degree of social avoidance and distress.  It is known that social avoidance and distress is an important factor related to social anxiety. 9

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Item95%CIItem95%CI Talking about serious events experienced during the day at home 9.3– 18.8 Being taught new job-related skills for a part-time job at the workplace 20.2– 32.2 Seeking medical attention at a hospital 9.3– 18.8 Becoming a playmate at home 22.9– 35.3 Seeking career counseling at school 10.6– 20.5 Being taught to study at home 22.9– 35.3 Being nursed during hospitalization 11.0– 21.0 Being consulted about concerns at home 24.3– 36.9 Being nursed at home 11.4– 21.6 Being cared for at home when old 26.1– 38.9 Seeking mental health counseling at a clinic 12.3– 22.7 Being cared for at a nursing home when old 27.0– 39.9 Seeking mental health counseling at school or in the workplace 13.1– 23.7 Being guided at a tourist spot 32.6– 46.0 Being taught at schools or cramming schools 13.6– 24.3 Getting fortune-telling on street or store 34.5– 48.0 Talking about trivial events experienced during the day at home 14.5– 25.4 Enquiring about the characteristics and features of products at stores 35.5– 49.0 Seeking outplacement counseling at an employment agency 14.5– 25.4 Placing orders for food and drink at restaurants 39.3– 52.9 Being provided with health consultations 14.9– 25.9 Complaining about an issue at home 41.2– 54.9 Being trained for new tasks at workplace 14.9– 25.9 Asking directions at station or on street 43.7– 57.3 Paying for items at the checkout counter of a store 45.1–

15 *:p<.05, **:p<.01, ***:p<.001 SADS SCORE

 Some of the young Japanese people prefer robots to people as communication partners for many roles and situations in daily life.  The SADS scores of participants who selected robots as communication partners were higher than those of participants who selected humans as communication partners for almost all roles and situations. 16

 Investigating the types of robots preferred as communication partners for many roles and situations in daily life.  Investigating psychological factors associated with people’s preferences for robots may be helpful for introducing communication robots in daily life. 17

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