Date of Award

12-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Jessica Wildman

Second Advisor

Meredith Carroll

Third Advisor

Gary Burns

Fourth Advisor

Lisa Steelman

Abstract

Modern advances in technology have enabled a collaborative relationship between man and machine. Many industries have adopted these human-agent teams, yet human perceptions about technology may prevent them from adopting a teammate mentality when interacting with agents. Although many studies have researched the issue, few have studied how the human to agent ratio within a team influences how the person intends to interact with their agent team members. Grounded in the theory of planned behavior (Azjen, 1985), this study elucidates how a team’s composition affects the trust of human team members in human-agent teams and their subsequent intentions to work with their agent team members. Using a between-person experimental vignette methodology, 226 online participants were assigned to one of six vignette conditions in a survey which manipulates the composition of the hypothetical six-person team (agent majority, balanced, and human majority) and the role of the agent (leader or subordinate). Although few significant findings were produced, notable trends and study limitations are discussed to guide future research that examines the effect of team composition in human agent teams.

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