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If it Looks like a Human and Speaks like a Human..

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  • Mario A. Maggioni
  • Domenico Rossignoli

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a behavioral experiment conducted between February 2020 and March 2021 at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan Campus, in which students were matched with either a human or a humanoid robotic partner to play an iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma. The results of a Logit estimation procedure show that subjects are more likely to cooperate with human rather than with robotic partners; that they are more likely to cooperate after receiving a dialogic verbal reaction following a sub-optimal social outcome; and that the effect of the verbal reaction is not dependent on the nature of the partner. Our findings provide new evidence on the effects of verbal communication in strategic frameworks. The results are robust to the exclusion of students of Economics-related subjects, to the inclusion of a set of psychological and behavioral controls, to the way subjects perceive robots’ behavior, and to potential gender biases in human-human interactions.

Suggested Citation

  • Mario A. Maggioni & Domenico Rossignoli, 2021. "If it Looks like a Human and Speaks like a Human..," DISEIS - Quaderni del Dipartimento di Economia internazionale, delle istituzioni e dello sviluppo dis2101, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimento di Economia internazionale, delle istituzioni e dello sviluppo (DISEIS).
    • Handle: RePEc:dis:wpaper:dis2101
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    File URL: http://dipartimenti.unicatt.it/diseis-wp_2101.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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