“I would choose the other card” - Humanoid robot gives an advice

This article reports on a user study conducted to asses the credibility of a humanoid robot. The study set-up was based on the “Monty Hall Problem”. Overall 13 people between the ages of 19 and 84 took part in the study (7 male and 6 female). The experiment was set up as a card-game where the participant had to guess which of the three cards shows a price. At one point of the experiment the robot advised the participant to change his/her mind and choose another card. During the user study the participants had to fill in a questionnaire on their level of certainty about their choice and the credibility of the robot. The results showed a significant correlation between the believability of the robot and the certainty in the decision made. Furthermore, the outcomes showed differences between participants who followed the robot´s advise and participants who did not, regarding credibility, certainty of the decision made and the estimation whether the robot was helpful or not.