transfer 23(3) » Rezeptions- und Wirkungsforschung

Anthropomorphism of Driving Assistants for Conditional Automation Systems

This bachelor thesis is devoted to the impact of anthropomorphic features of driving assistants on trust in Conditionally Automated Driving simulators (SAE International Standard J3016 Level 3). Anthropomorphic features contribute to trust in autonomous driving systems, whereby it is differentiated between features related to the appearance and features related to the behaviour of a virtual assistant. In a 2 x 2 factorial experiment with between-group design (n = 56) distrust towards the system was gradually evoked, and the potential of stereoscopic 3D representation and of communicational sequences appealing to social norms for trust maintenance were investigated. Impacts on social presence, self-reported trust, attractiveness of the system and driving behaviour in correspondence to trust (reliance) were investigated. Results show no significant impact of stereoscopic 3D or anthropomorphic behavioural features. The current study yielded findings that the implementation of stereoscopic 3D impacts overtaking behaviour, and potentially fosters safety-consciousness and mitigates inappropriate usage of the system. Differences in sample groups indicate that individual context variables have an impact. Operationalisation of trust and anthropomorphic features needs to be investigated in future work. The investigated research variables are correlated significantly to each other, indicating that further studies are in need that focus on similar research schemes.