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Can Machines Think? Interaction and Perspective Taking with Robots Investigated via fMRI

Author

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  • Sören Krach
  • Frank Hegel
  • Britta Wrede
  • Gerhard Sagerer
  • Ferdinand Binkofski
  • Tilo Kircher

Abstract

Background: When our PC goes on strike again we tend to curse it as if it were a human being. Why and under which circumstances do we attribute human-like properties to machines? Although humans increasingly interact directly with machines it remains unclear whether humans implicitly attribute intentions to them and, if so, whether such interactions resemble human-human interactions on a neural level. In social cognitive neuroscience the ability to attribute intentions and desires to others is being referred to as having a Theory of Mind (ToM). With the present study we investigated whether an increase of human-likeness of interaction partners modulates the participants' ToM associated cortical activity. Methodology/Principal Findings: By means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (subjects n = 20) we investigated cortical activity modulation during highly interactive human-robot game. Increasing degrees of human-likeness for the game partner were introduced by means of a computer partner, a functional robot, an anthropomorphic robot and a human partner. The classical iterated prisoner's dilemma game was applied as experimental task which allowed for an implicit detection of ToM associated cortical activity. During the experiment participants always played against a random sequence unknowingly to them. Irrespective of the surmised interaction partners' responses participants indicated having experienced more fun and competition in the interaction with increasing human-like features of their partners. Parametric modulation of the functional imaging data revealed a highly significant linear increase of cortical activity in the medial frontal cortex as well as in the right temporo-parietal junction in correspondence with the increase of human-likeness of the interaction partner (computer

Suggested Citation

  • Sören Krach & Frank Hegel & Britta Wrede & Gerhard Sagerer & Ferdinand Binkofski & Tilo Kircher, 2008. "Can Machines Think? Interaction and Perspective Taking with Robots Investigated via fMRI," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 3(7), pages 1-11, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0002597
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002597
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    1. Adrianna C Jenkins & David Dodell-Feder & Rebecca Saxe & Joshua Knobe, 2014. "The Neural Bases of Directed and Spontaneous Mental State Attributions to Group Agents," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(8), pages 1-11, August.
    2. Chugunova, Marina & Sele, Daniela, 2022. "We and It: An interdisciplinary review of the experimental evidence on how humans interact with machines," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    3. Laurent Cleret de Langavant & Philippe Remy & Iris Trinkler & Joseph McIntyre & Emmanuel Dupoux & Alain Berthoz & Anne-Catherine Bachoud-Lévi, 2011. "Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Communication via Pointing," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(3), pages 1-10, March.
    4. Maggioni, Mario A. & Rossignoli, Domenico, 2023. "If it looks like a human and speaks like a human ... Communication and cooperation in strategic Human–Robot interactions," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    5. Farjam, Mike & Kirchkamp, Oliver, 2018. "Bubbles in hybrid markets: How expectations about algorithmic trading affect human trading," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 248-269.
    6. J A Scott Kelso & Gonzalo C de Guzman & Colin Reveley & Emmanuelle Tognoli, 2009. "Virtual Partner Interaction (VPI): Exploring Novel Behaviors via Coordination Dynamics," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 4(6), pages 1-11, June.
    7. Farjam, Mike, 2019. "On whom would I want to depend; humans or computers?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 219-228.
    8. Hans-Theo Normann & Martin Sternberg, 2021. "Human-Algorithm Interaction: Algorithmic Pricing in Hybrid Laboratory Markets," Discussion Paper Series of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods 2021_11, Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, revised 13 Apr 2022.
    9. Mario A. Maggioni & Domenico Rossignoli, 2021. "If it Looks like a Human and Speaks like a Human..," DISEIS - Quaderni del Dipartimento di Economia internazionale, delle istituzioni e dello sviluppo dis2101, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimento di Economia internazionale, delle istituzioni e dello sviluppo (DISEIS).
    10. Susana Suarez-Fernandez de Miranda & Francisco Aguayo-González & María Jesús Ávila-Gutiérrez & Antonio Córdoba-Roldán, 2021. "Neuro-Competence Approach for Sustainable Engineering," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-26, April.
    11. Mario A. Maggioni & Domenico Rossignoli, 2021. "If it Looks like a Human and Speaks like a Human ... Dialogue and cooperation in human-robot interactions," Papers 2104.11652, arXiv.org, revised May 2021.
    12. Eva G Krumhuber & Aleksandra Swiderska & Elena Tsankova & Shanmukh V Kamble & Arvid Kappas, 2015. "Real or Artificial? Intergroup Biases in Mind Perception in a Cross-Cultural Perspective," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(9), pages 1-14, September.
    13. Kevin Corti & Alex Gillespie, 2016. "Co-constructing intersubjectivity with artificial conversational agents: people are more likely to initiate repairs of misunderstandings with agents represented as human," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 65746, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. Normann, Hans-Theo & Sternberg, Martin, 2022. "Human-algorithm interaction: Algorithmic pricing in hybrid laboratory markets," DICE Discussion Papers 392, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    15. Normann, Hans-Theo & Sternberg, Martin, 2023. "Human-algorithm interaction: Algorithmic pricing in hybrid laboratory markets," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    16. Ivan Hernandez & Jesse Lee Preston & Justin Hepler, 2014. "Timescale Halo: Average-Speed Targets Elicit More Positive and Less Negative Attributions than Slow or Fast Targets," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(1), pages 1-8, January.

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