How Human Is Your Computer?
Measuring Ethopoeic Perceptions Of Computers
Author(s)
J. P. Charlton
Abstract
The extent to which people have human-like perceptions of, and relationships
with, computers is considered along with previous attempts at measuring these
phenomena. A distinction is made between the unrealistic notion that adults
anthropomorphise the computers that they use everyday in the same way that
they anthropomorphise entities such as animals (e.g. ascribe feelings and purpose
to them) and the more realistic idea that some people perceive such computers as
having human-like characteristics while not believing that they are sentient and
purposeful (following previous work, such perceptions are labelled ethopoeic).
Based upon the assumption that one way of assessing the extent of people’s
ethopoeic perceptions of computers is to measure the extent to which they
consider that words describing human-like cognitive and volitional qualities can
also be applied to computers, a short scale measuring ethopoeic perceptions of
computers is developed. This scale, entitled the Computer Perceptions Scale
(CPS), is shown to be unifactorial and reliable. CPS scores are shown to be
negatively related to computing experience and trait computer anger. Finally, a
research agenda is outlined in which it is planned to use the scale to investigate
the extent to which individual differences in ethopoeic perceptions of computers
are involved in both the differential attribution of blame to computers for anger
inducing computing incidents and the degree to which the anger resulting from
such incidents causes overt expression of anger towards computers.
Keywords: human-computer relationships, anthropomorphism, ethopoeia,
individual differences, human sex differences, computer experience, anger.
1 Introduction
1.1 The nature of human-computer relationships
The idea that people have social relationships with computers has been around
for a long time, Turkle [1] perhaps being the most prominent early proponent of
Keywords
human-computer relationships, anthropomorphism, ethopoeia,
individual differences, human sex differences, computer experience, anger.
Related Book
Other papers in this volume
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