University of Twente Student Theses
The Effect of Voice and Embodiment on the Gender Perception of Speaking Social Robots
Veen, S.H. van (2024) The Effect of Voice and Embodiment on the Gender Perception of Speaking Social Robots.
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| Abstract: | Synthetic computer voices and social robots are seeing increased use as (virtual) assistants, yet research shows that these technologies reinforce harmful gender stereotypes, prompting new research into the gender perception of technology to allow its designers to make more informed decisions about its perceived gender. However, this research has mainly focused on computer voices or robots in isolation, rarely combining the two. As such, it remains unclear how the voice and embodiment (appearance) of a speaking social robot influence its perceived gender. This study addresses this gap by investigating the effect of computer voices and embodiments on the gender perception of speaking social robots, and each other. Additionally, it investigates different methods for the creation of ambiguously gendered speaking social robots. An online survey was conducted, in which robots and voices of ambiguous, feminine, and masculine gender were combined into robot-voice combinations and then tested for their perceived gender. The results indicate dominance of the voice over the embodiment for the gender perception of speaking social robots, as the voices showed greater effects on the gender scores than the robots. However, this is partially dependent on the gender of the voice, as ambiguously gendered stimuli, whether voice or embodiment, are found to have little impact when combined with a binary gendered stimulus. Combinations of masculine and feminine stimuli are found to score high on ambiguity, similar to combinations consisting solely of ambiguous stimuli. However, remarks from participants indicate unfavourable attitudes towards such combinations, suggesting additional research is necessary to determine if combining masculine and feminine stimuli is a viable method for the creation of gender ambiguous speaking social robots. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science |
| Programme: | Interaction Technology MSc (60030) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/104765 |
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