ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B
主办:中国心理学会
   中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

心理学报 ›› 2025, Vol. 57 ›› Issue (4): 671-699.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2025.0671 cstr: 32110.14.2025.0671

• 亲社会行为专刊(2) • 上一篇    下一篇

感知机器人威胁降低亲社会倾向

许丽颖, 张语嫣, 喻丰()   

  1. 武汉大学心理学系, 武汉 430072
  • 收稿日期:2023-12-02 发布日期:2025-02-06 出版日期:2025-04-25
  • 通讯作者: 喻丰, E-mail: psychpedia@whu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    国家社科基金青年项目(20CZX059)

Perceived robot threats reduce pro-social tendencies

XU Liying, ZHANG Yuyan, YU Feng()   

  1. Department of Psychology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
  • Received:2023-12-02 Online:2025-02-06 Published:2025-04-25

摘要:

机器人进入社会可能会对人类造成心理威胁, 而这种威胁会给人际关系带来挑战。通过8个研究, 结合档案数据库回溯、问卷调查、情境实验和线下调查, 文章探讨了感知机器人威胁对亲社会倾向的影响及其内在机制和边界条件。结果发现:感知机器人威胁会降低人们的亲社会倾向(研究1~7); 其机制为集体焦虑的中介作用, 即感知机器人威胁会增加集体焦虑, 从而降低亲社会倾向(研究2~4); 此效应受到内外群体的调节, 即感知机器人威胁主要会降低对于外群体成员的亲社会倾向(研究5); 同时, 此效应受到道德比较倾向的调节, 即感知机器人威胁主要会降低下行道德比较者的亲社会倾向(研究6)。研究结果揭示了感知机器人威胁对人际关系的负面影响, 拓展了现有关于机器人社会影响的研究。

关键词: 亲社会倾向, 感知机器人威胁, 集体焦虑, 外群体, 道德比较

Abstract:

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) presents an inevitable challenge to human society, raising concerns that range from the displacement of human jobs by robots to the increasingly ambiguous boundaries between humans and machines. This phenomenon is conceptualized as the realistic and symbolic threat posed by robots, which engenders collective angst among human beings. This collective angst reflects a concern for the future of the group, manifesting in negative emotions among group members apprehensive about their future. When a group perceives itself to be in crisis, societal cohesion may weaken, leading to increased divisions and aggression, and consequently, a decline in pro-social tendencies. Importantly, this decline is typically observed only toward out-group members, whereas the perceived robotic threat does not diminish pro-social behavior toward in-group members. Additionally, moral comparisons serve as a moderating factor in this dynamic. Downward moral comparisons, which enhance self-improvement and create a moral license that justifies both moral and immoral behaviors (e.g., a reduction in pro-social behaviors), suggest that the effect of robotic threat on pro-social tendencies is more pronounced among individuals who engage in such comparisons.

This research consists of eight studies based on the basic hypothesis that perceived robotic threat reduces people's pro-social tendencies, with collective angst acting as a mediating mechanism, and inside-outside group and moral comparison tendencies moderating its effects. Studies 1a and 1b used pre-existing archival databases to calculate the relationship between perceived robot threat at the individual level and pro-social behavior at the national level. Study 2, on the other hand, used a questionnaire to examine collective angst as a mediating variable between robot threat and reduced pro-social tendencies. Study 3 experimentally manipulated robot threat to similarly validate the mediating role of collective angst. Study 4 excluded the influence of other potential mediators. Studies 5 and 6 also used experimental methods to respectively explore the moderating role of internal and external groups and moral comparison tendencies, and to clarify the boundary conditions between perceived robot threat reducing pro-social tendencies. Study 7 further validated the influence of perceived robot threat on prosocial behavior through behavioral observation.

The main findings of this research are as follows. First, perceived robotic threat indeed reduces people's pro-social tendencies, even at the group level (Studies 1~7); Second, the mechanism is mediated by collective angst, that is, perceived robotic threat increases collective anxiety, which reduces pro-social tendencies in order to alleviate anxiety (Studies 2~4); Third, This effect is moderated by in-group and out-group distinction, whereas perceived robotic threat primarily reduces pro-social tendencies for out-group members (Study 5); Fourth, this effect is moderated by the tendency to make moral comparisons, that is, perceived robot threat mainly reduces pro-social tendencies for downward moral comparators (Study 6).

As findings on the social consequences of robotic threats in prior research have been inconsistent, the results of this research strongly support the conclusion that robotic threats result in negative rather than positive interpersonal outcomes. The reason for this may be the difference between the internal and external groups that people psychologically delineate when they are faced with specific people to engage in interpersonal behavior after experiencing a robotic threat. Our research theoretically explains why robotic threats produce negative interpersonal outcomes.

Key words: pro-social tendencies, perceived robot threat, collective angst, out-groups members, moral comparisons

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