How the personality and memory of a robot can influence user modeling in Human-Robot Interaction

Abstract

In recent years, robotics has evolved, placing robots in social contexts, and giving rise to Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). HRI aims to improve user satisfaction by designing autonomous social robots with user modeling functionalities storing data on people to personalise interactions. Personality, a vital factor in human interactions, influences temperament, social preferences, and cognitive abilities. Despite much research on personality traits influencing HRI, little attention has been paid to the influence of the robot’s personality on the user modeling. Personality can influence not only temperament and how people interact with each other but also what they remember about an interaction. A robot’s personality traits could therefore influence what it remembers about the user and thus modify the user model and the consequent interactions. However, no studies investigating such conditioning have been found. This paper addresses this gap by proposing distinct user models that reflect unique robotic personalities, exploring the interplay between individual traits, memory, and social interactions to replicate human-like processes, and trying to provide users with more engaging and natural experiences.