Reaction paper
1
Machines and Mindlessness: Social Responses to Computers by Nass & Moon
Key summary
This reading reviews a series of experimental studies about how individuals mindlessly apply
social rules and expectations to computers.
Key concepts
• Anthropomorphism: An assignment of human traits and characteristics to computers which
involves the thoughtful and sincere belief that the object has human characteristics.
• Overlearning: Individuals tend to perform some behaviors habitually without additionally
context cues.
• Mindless behavior: The unanswered behavior that occurs as a result of conscious attention to
a subset of contextual cues. Specifically, mindless behavior can emerge from overlearning.
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The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior
by Yee & Bailenson
Key summary
This study explores how our self-representations change our own behaviors in social
interactions. Two experiments were conducted and the Proteus effect was discussed.
Key concepts
•
Avatar: The self- representation in online environment.
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The Proteus Effect: In online environment, a person would conform to the behavior that
he/she believes others would expect him/her to have.
•
The social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE): Factors that lead to
deindividuation would reinforce group salience and conformity to group norms.
•
Behavioral confirmation: The process that the expectations of one person cause another
person to behave in ways that confirm the former’s expectations.
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Self-perception theory: People would observe their own behaviors to understand what
attitudes may have caused them.