Trust gained, trust lost: how service robot anthropomorphism shapes consumer trust in tight and loose cultures

Purpose This paper aimed to examine the dual pathways through which service-robot (SR) anthropomorphism shapes consumer trust in service robots (CTSR), specifically the positive serial mediating effect of perceived warmth (WA) and perceived competence (CO) and the negative serial mediating effect of perceived identity threat (TH) and discomfort (DI). It further explored cross-cultural differences in consumer attitudes and their underlying reasons from the perspective of cultural tightness-looseness. Design/methodology/approach Five scenario experiments were conducted across three sets of SR picture stimuli, two service settings (hotel and hospital) and two cultures (China and the United States). Findings Both study 1 and study 2 found that anthropomorphism had a double-edged sword effect on CTSR across different sets of SR picture stimuli, service settings and cultures. An exploratory analysis in study 1 further revealed that among Chinese consumers, CTSR and its antecedents did not show significant differences across different service settings. Study 2 results further indicated that Chinese (versus. American) consumers had higher WA, CO and CTSR, along with lower TH and DI and that region-level cultural tightness influenced CTSR and its antecedents, potentially explaining these cross-cultural differences. Practical implications For hospitality managers, this paper offers insights on how to deploy anthropomorphic SRs across different cultural contexts. Originality/value This study developed a dialectical framework that integrates cognitive and affective serial mediation pathways and considers both the country- and region-level effects of cultural tightness on attitudes toward SRs.