The theory of social response: computers are social actors (CASA) states humans mindlessly apply the same social heuristics used for human interactions to computers because computers call to mind similar social attributes as humans.
Contents
- History and context
- Current status of academic research
- Cognitive load on social response to computers
- Computer emotion impacts on trust
- Cloud computing reexamination of CASA
- Example
- References
Social attributes that computers have which are similar to humans include:
According to CASA, the above attributes trigger scripts for human-human interaction, which leads an individual to ignore cues revealing the asocial nature of a computer. Although individuals using computers exhibit a mindless social response to the compute, individuals who are sensitive to the situation can observe the inappropriateness of the cued social behaviors.
Cued social behaviors observed in research settings include some of the following:
History and context
Nass and Moon's article, "Machines and Mindlessness: Social Responses to Computers", published in 2000 is the origin for CASA. In the article they state that CASA is the concept that people mindlessly apply social rules and expectations to computers even though they know that these machines do not have feelings, intentions or human motivations.
In their 2000 article, Nass and Moon attribute their observation of anthropocentric reactions to computers and previous research on mindlessness as factors that lead them to study the phenomenon of computers as social actors. Specifically, they observed consistent anthropocentric treatment of computers by individuals in natural and lab settings, even though these individuals agreed – computers are not human and shouldn't be treated like a human. Additionally, Nass and Moon found a similarity between this behavior and Harvard professor of psychology, Ellen Langer's, research on mindlessness. Langer states that mindlessness is when a specific context triggers an individual to rely on categories, associations, and habits of thought from the past with little to no conscious awareness. When these contexts are triggered, the individual becomes oblivious to novel or alternative aspects of the situation. In this respect, mindlessness is similar to habits and routines, but different in that with only one exposure to information, a person will create a cognitive commitment to the information and freeze its potential meaning. With mindlessness, alternative meanings or uses of the information become unavailable for active cognitive use.
Current status of academic research
Below is a synopsis of three articles which represent the most recent advances in the field of CASA. Specifically, researchers in this field are looking at how novel variables, manipulations, and new computer software influence mindlessness.
Cognitive load on social response to computers
A 2010 article by Lee discussed research on how human likeness of a computer interface, individuals' rationality, and cognitive busyness moderate the extent to which people apply social attributes to computers. The research revealed that participants were more socially attracted to the computer that flattered them than generic-comment computer, but they became more suspicious about the validity of the flattery computer's claims and more likely to dismiss its answer. These negative effects disappeared when participants simultaneously engaged in a secondary task.
Computer emotion – impacts on trust
A 2011 study by Antos, De Melo, Gratch, and Grosz investigated whether computer agents can use the expression of emotion to influence human perceptions of trustworthiness in the context of a negotiation game followed by a trust game. They found computer agents that displayed emotion congruent with their actions were preferred as partners in the trust game over computer agents whose emotion expressions and actions did not match. They also found that when emotion does not carry useful new information, it did not strongly influence human decision-making behavior in a negotiation setting.
Cloud computing – reexamination of CASA
A 2011 study by Hong and Sundar found when people are in a cloud computing environment (cloud programs run via internet, not the computer's hard drive), they shift their source orientation – that is, users evaluate the system by focusing on service providers over the internet, not directly on the machines in front of them. Hong and Sundar conclude their study by stating, "if individuals no longer respond socially to computers in clouds, there will need to be a fundamental re-examination of the mindless social response of humans to computers."
Example
One example of how CASA research can impact consumer behavior and attitude is Moon's experiment (2000) which tested the application of the principle of reciprocity and disclosure in a consumer context. He tested this principle with intimate self-disclosure of high-risk information (when disclosure makes the person feel vulnerable) to a computer and observed how that disclosure affects future attitudes and behaviors.
Participants interacted with a computer which questioned them using reciprocal wording and gradual revealing of intimate information, then participants did a puzzle on paper, and finally half the group went back to the same computer and the other half went to a different computer. Both groups were shown 20 products and asked if they would purchase them.
Participants who used the same computer throughout the experiment had a higher purchase likelihood score and a higher attraction score toward the computer in the product presentation than participants who did not use the same computer throughout the experiment.