The Smiling Chatbot: Investigating Emotional Contagion in Human-to-Chatbot Service Interactions

Description

Significant advances in the field of artificial intelligence have given a strong tailwind to the spread of technologies based on it. AI technologies are increasingly influencing private contexts but also the service sector where more and more service encounters are handled by chatbots. In part, however, the spread of chatbots and the associated focus on their functional advantages seem to contradict extant research findings that service interactions are also driven by emotional components. A central role is played here by so-called emotional contagion (i.e., the unconscious transfer of emotions from employees to customers). Against the background that this contagion with positive emotions can lead to a better evaluation of the service transaction in the further course, it is the goal of this book to investigate the effects of positive displayed emotions of a chatbot. For this purpose, six consecutive studies were conducted. The results show that the expression of positive emotions by a chatbot enriches the service interactions by transmitting positive emotions that, in the further course, do also lead to a better evaluation of the service experienced. Moreover, it is shown that these emotional reactions are dependent on the customer’s personality and the chatbot’s appearance, expressed through an avatar. Zusammenfassung Abstract Contents Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables 1 Introduction 1.1 Relevance 1.2 Research Gaps 1.3 Objectives and Contributions 1.4 Structure 2 Foundations of Artificial Intelligence and Conversational Agents 2.1 Artificial Intelligence 2.1.1 Definition of Artificial Intelligence 2.1.2 Historical Development 2.1.3 Levels of (Artificial) Intelligence 2.2 Conversational Agents 2.2.1 Definition of Conversational Agents 2.2.2 Communication Channels 2.2.3 Chatbots as Text-based Conversational Agents 2.2.4 Emotions in Text-based Communication 3 Emotions and Their Relevance for Service Research 3.1 Emotions 3.2 Emotional Contagion 3.2.1 Definition of Emotional Contagion 3.2.2 Perceived Authenticity of Displayed Emotions 3.2.3 Empathy 4 Overview of Current Literature 5 Conceptual Developments and Empirical Investigations 5.1 Overview 5.2 Study 1: Facial Reactions to Displayed Emotions (Laboratory Experiment) 5.2.1 Conceptual Development 5.2.2 Research Objectives and Setting 5.2.3 Experimental Design 5.2.4 Procedure 5.2.5 Measures 5.2.6 Participants 5.2.7 Results 5.2.8 Discussion 5.3 Study 2: Mediating Role of Customer Positive Affect (Video-based Stimuli) 5.3.1 Conceptual Development 5.3.2 Research Objectives and Setting 5.3.3 Experimental Design 5.3.4 Procedure 5.3.5 Measures 5.3.6 Participants 5.3.7 Results 5.3.8 Discussion 5.4 Study 3: Mediating Role of Customer Positive Affect (Real Chatbot) 5.4.1 Research Objectives and Setting 5.4.2 Experimental Design 5.4.3 Procedure 5.4.4 Participants 5.4.5 Results 5.4.6 Discussion 5.5 Study 4: Empathy Toward Chatbots and Personality-dependent Susceptibility 5.5.1 Conceptual Development 5.5.2 Research Objectives and Setting 5.5.3 Experimental Design 5.5.4 Procedure 5.5.5 Measures 5.5.6 Participants 5.5.7 Results 5.5.8 Discussion 5.6 Study 5: Effect of Avatars on Anthropomorphic Behavior Toward Chatbots 5.6.1 Conceptual Development 5.6.2 Research Objectives and Setting 5.6.3 Experimental Design 5.6.4 Procedure 5.6.5 Participants 5.6.6 Results 5.6.7 Discussion 5.7 Study 6: Emotional Contagion in Service Recovery Encounters 5.7.1 Conceptual Development 5.7.2 Research Objectives and Setting 5.7.3 Experimental Design 5.7.4 Procedure 5.7.5 Measures 5.7.6 Participants 5.7.7 Results 5.7.8 Discussion 6 General Discussion 7 Implications and Limitations 7.1 Theoretical Implications 7.2 Practical Implications 7.3 Limitations and Directions for Future Research 7.4 Management Summary References