Effects of Age and Gender Stereotypes on Trust in an Anthropomorphic Decision Aid

Abstract

Stereotypes are beliefs about the capabilities of another group. Previous research indicates stereotypes can affect how users interact with anthropomorphic computer aids. User perception can be affected by gender and age stereotypes elicited by the appearance of the computer system. Other research has shown that perceptions of automation (e.g., implicit ones such as propensity to trust automation, or perceptions of etiquette) interact with reliability to influence automation trust behavior. The current study built upon these ideas to examine whether implicit beliefs (i.e., stereotypes) about the perceived age and gender of automation interacted with reliability to affect perceptions of trust in automation. We employed a factorial survey where we presented scenarios of automation to younger adults. The anthropomorphized automation had a perceived age and gender, and was stated to be variably reliable.