Thanks to rapid technological developments, smart cars are being developed that use automation technology to either help or replace human drivers. These smart cars have several potential benefits: they might decrease the amount of road traffic accidents (lethal and nonlethal), decrease the amount of traffic jams, and increase fuel efficiency. However, these potential benefits can only be fully realized when human drivers are willing to give (part of the) control of driving to the automation technology. The willingness of human drivers to transfer this control to automation technology is driven by trust. Research has shown that people respond socially to technology in general. This means that people might respond similarly to technology as to other humans. For example, people tend to get mad at their computer if it does not work properly. In the research described in this dissertation, we studied whether the same strategies that increase trust in humans also increase trust in a virtual agent, which might be used to increase trust in smart cars. Similarity has been shown to be an important trust cue. (Author/publisher)
Abstract