Presentation
A Systematic Review of Prosocial Decision-Making in Human-Embodied Agent Interaction
SessionThursday Poster Session
DescriptionEmbodied agents are becoming common in daily life, creating situations in which humans and agents compete over limited resources and humans may choose to benefit agents at a personal cost, referred to as prosocial behavior. However, existing research lacks a comprehensive synthesis of prosocial decision-making toward embodied agents and does not clearly distinguish how such decision-making differs across agent types. To address this gap, this systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines and analyzed 25 empirical studies published between 2010 and 2025. The studies were synthesized by agent type, particularly social robots and autonomous vehicles (AVs), as well as by conflict types, interaction scenarios, and factors influencing prosocial behavior. Most studies examined conflicts over limited space in realistic contexts, while fewer focused on resource allocation or game-theoretic scenarios. In Human-Social Robot Interaction (HSRI), prosocial decision-making was mainly influenced by agents’ social cues (e.g., appearance, social behavior), suggesting that humans treat social robots as social actors. In contrast, in Human-Autonomous Vehicle Interaction (HAVI), prosocial behavior was primarily influenced by cost-benefit considerations (e.g., time costs, AV driving style) indicating more utilitarian decision-making. Across both contexts, individual characteristics also significantly influenced prosocial behavior. These findings provide insights for designing embodied agents that foster prosocial environments.
Event Type
Poster
TimeThursday, October 22nd5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
Location