The Influence of Gendered Physical Attributes and Personality Traits on Robot Perception

Social robots inevitably present multiple social cues simultaneously, yet previous research has generally examined these cues in isolation. The present study provides the first test of how a robot’s gendered morphology and a gender-stereotyped perceived personality together shape task-suitability judgments, acceptability, likeability, and anthropomorphism. Our findings reveal that robots with masculine physical features are perceived as more suitable for tasks traditionally associated with masculinity than those with feminine morphological characteristics. However, no effect of robot physical characteristics was observed for feminine tasks. Critically, the study reveals an important phenomenon: people judge a robot as more anthropomorphic when its perceived gendered appearance matches the gender-stereotyped personality traits assigned to it. The results can inform designers who wish to boost anthropomorphism by matching appearance and behaviour, or, conversely, to challenge stereotypes or reduce the level of perceived anthropomorphism by deliberately mismatching them.