Kick the Robot: How agressive behavior towards robots influences human-human interaction

Aufgabenstellung / Topic

This thesis explores how aggressive behavior toward robots, such as kicking or yelling, affects subsequent human-human interaction. While prior research has investigated verbal aggression directed at voice assistants ([1]), this project shifts the focus to physical robots in shared environments. The central question is: Does being mean to a robot influence how people behave with each other afterward?

Using a robot platform, the thesis will design controlled interaction scenarios where participants engage in socially inappropriate behavior toward a robot. We will then measure how this behavior impacts their social dynamics with human partners, aiming to uncover emotional, behavioral, or communicative changes.

You will:

• Conduct a literature review on aggression in Human-Agent Interaction
• Design and implement experimental conditions involving robot-directed aggression
• Develop and run a user study in which participants are triggered to be mean to a robot and then evaluate subsequent human-human interaction
• Analyze and summarize findings in a thesis
• (Optional) Contribute to a research publication

You need:

• A strong interest in Human-Robot Interaction and social psychology
• Experience with experimental design and behavioral data analysis
• Skills in Python and ROS for robot programming

Reference Work

• Riquel et al. (2021) – "F*** You!"-An Investigation of Humanness, Frustration, and Aggression in Conversational Agent Communication