Who is Best at Mediating a Social Conflict? Comparing Robots, Screens and Humans

Abstract

The impacts of various mediation platforms on negotiation outcomes and perceptions are compared in this article. The mediator platforms contrasted were a (teleoperated) Telenoid robot, a human, and a computer screen. All of these platforms used the same script for process diagnosis, analysis, and advice on how to resolve an impasse in a simulated high-tech company de-merger negotiation. A fourth experimental condition consisted of a no-mediation control. More agreements and more integrative agreements were attained by the robotic platform than by the other types of mediator platforms and the control. Mediation via the Telenoid robot also produced more non-structured agreements, which consisted of decisions made outside of the scenario options. Negotiators in this condition had more positive perceptions of the mediation experience, were more satisfied with the outcome, and thought that the mediator’s advice was more useful. Indirect analyses showed that the outcomes mediated the effects of the conditions on perceived satisfaction. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of responses to novelty, which include creative and divergent modes of thinking.

Novelty Knows No Boundaries: Why a Proper Investigation of Novelty Effects Within SHRI Should Begin by Addressing the Scientific Plurality of the Field

“…If the field of SHRI was to operate with more prominent and nuanced attention to novelty effects, then perhaps these proposals would equally contain an identification of robot novelty as an instigator of these outputs. In a study by Druckman et al (2021) , the authors reflect upon the possibility of positive robot effects on creative negotiation outcomes as brought on by robot novelty effects on participant abilities to engage in divergent or creative thinking. Considering the arguments presented in this paper, that novelty may disrupt established meaning-making and force the experiencee in generating alternative meaning, such a reflection seems justified.…”

Toward Designing Social Human-Robot Interactions for Deep Space Exploration

“…For example, a social robot can improve people's interpersonal conflict resolution skills by flagging a conflict onset and offering prompts for conflict resolution [43]. Mediation via the Telenoid robot was also found to produce more agreements and more integrative agreements among human teammates in comparison with both a screen mediator and a human mediator [6]. The last social role category that a robot often takes in a human group is a moderator/supporter role.…”

“…However, barely any prior work focused on the design and impact of robot roles on the group dynamics and processes of space crew teams, posing a new urgency to investigate the nuanced challenges for social HRI in space. For example, a robot mediator has been empirically shown to resolve people's interpersonal conflicts more effectively than a screen mediator or a human mediator [6], but the design considerations for a robot mediation in astronaut-astronaut interactions remain unexplored. Understanding astronauts' perception, acceptance and needs of social robots in different LDSE-related interaction contexts would help design for more astronaut-centered HRI.…”

The Role of Issues in Negotiation: Framing, Linking, and Ordering

“…In classes on negotiation, the first author uses a rubber band to illustrate the idea of stretching the frontier to the point where the band can no longer tolerate the tension. In a recent experiment, we found that the most creative agreements were those that reflected out‐of‐the‐box nonstructured solutions, usually obtained by robot mediators (Druckman et al 2021).…”