Trust and Anthropomorphism in Tandem: The Interrelated Nature of Automated Agent Appearance and Reliability in Trustworthiness Perceptions

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Anthropomorphism in the design of interface agents is implicitly linked to increasing user trust and acceptance. However, the role of perceived anthropomorphism and perceived trustworthiness in trust appropriateness given a system's capabilities and limitations is unclear. We designed a 2 (reliability: low, high) x 3 (agent appearance: computer, avatar, human) between-subject study to observe how agent appearance influenced user perceptions of and reliance on an automated teammate in a collaborative image classification task. Trust appropriateness was characterized as the degree to which reliance matched an optimal level given the system's reliability. Although agent appearance did not significantly influence trust appropriateness, it did affect perceptions of trustworthiness, particularly for low reliability agents. Our results suggest that trust and anthropomorphism involve highly related, dynamic perceptions aimed at anticipating system behavior. Based on our findings, recommendations for future research on trust and anthropomorphism are discussed along with some design implications.