Browsing by Subject "Attractiveness"
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Item Creating More Credible and Likable Travel Recommender Systems: The Influence of Virtual Agents on Travel Recommender System Evaluation(2011-08-08) Yoo, Kyung HyanTo help online trip planners, some online travel agencies and travel service providers have adopted travel recommender systems. Although these systems are expected to support travelers in complex decision-making processes, they are not used efficiently by travelers due to a lack of confidence in the recommendations they provide. It is important to examine factors that can influence the likelihood of recommendations to be accepted and integrated into decision-making processes. The persuasion literature suggests that people are more likely to accept recommendations from credible and likable sources. It has also been found that technologies can be more credible and likable when they give a variety of social cues that elicit social responses from their human users. Thus, it is argued that enhancing the social aspects of travel recommender systems is important to create more persuasive systems. One approach to enhancing the social presence of recommender systems is to use a virtual agent. Current travel recommender systems use various types of virtual agents. However, it is still not clear how those virtual agents are perceived by travel recommender system users and influence users' system evaluations and interactions with these systems. Consequently, this dissertation aimed to investigate the influence of virtual agents presented in travel recommender systems on system users' perceptions. Specifically, the virtual agents' anthropomorphism as well as similarity and authority cues on system users' perceptions of system credibility and liking were examined. For this purpose, two experiments were conducted. For Study 1, the impacts of anthropomorphism of the virtual agents on users' perceptions of virtual agents as well as recommender systems in terms of credibility and attractiveness/liking were examined. Anthropomorphism was manipulated with visual human appearance and voice output. Study 2 tested the influence of virtual agents? similarity and authority on travel recommender system users' perceptions of virtual agents and system credibility and attractiveness/liking. Similarity and authority of the virtual agent were tested by manipulating nonverbal cues (age and outfit) of the agent. The results showed that the characteristics of virtual agents have some influences on system users' perceptions of virtual agents as well as recommender systems. Specifically, a human-like appearance of the virtual agent is found to positively influence users' perceived attractiveness of the virtual agent while voice outputs were found to enhance users' liking of the system (Study 1). Findings also indicate that RS users' perceptions of virtual agent expertise are increased when virtual agents wear a uniform rather than a casual outfit (Study 2). In addition, system users' perceptions of the virtual agent's credibility are found to have a significant influence on users' perceived credibility and liking of the overall system, which implies an important role of virtual agents in recommender system evaluations. Further, perceived credibility and liking of recommender systems lead to favorable evaluations of the recommendations, which, in turn, increase users' intentions to travel to the recommended destination. Past travel recommender system studies have largely neglected the social role of recommender systems as advice givers. Also, it is not clear whether the specific characteristics of virtual agents presented as a part of the system interface influence system users' perceptions. This dissertation sought to close this knowledge gap. By applying classic interpersonal communication theories to human and system relationships, this dissertation expands the scope of traditional theories used in the context of studying recommender systems. Further, the results of the research presented in this dissertation provide insights for tourism marketing as well as practical implications for travel recommender system design.Item Differential caregiving behaviors elicited by infant attractiveness : the role of adult affect(2014-08) Schein, Stevie Scarlett; Langlois, Judith H.PsychologyItem The effect of model attractiveness on imitative fidelity in children(2015-08) Morales, Frances Rachel; Legare, Cristine H.; Buss, David MChildren and adults attribute positive personality traits and behaviors to people higher in physical attractiveness and negative traits and behaviors to people lower in attractiveness. These biases may be adaptations to evaluate information about social status. The present study builds upon social accounts of imitation by examining the effect of model attractiveness on imitative fidelity in childhood. In Study 1 (N = 150, 3--7-year-olds), the attractiveness of a model demonstrating an action sequence was manipulated to study the effect of priming high attractiveness versus low attractiveness on children's imitation of an instrumental task. Children's performance was coded for imitative fidelity and children's explanations for their behavior. I predicted that imitative fidelity would be highest when children see the actions being demonstrated by a more attractive model. I predicted also that older children would engage in higher imitative fidelity than younger children, a finding that may be due to increasing sensitivity to social conventions with age. The mean imitative fidelity summary score was higher for older children compared to the summary score for younger children. But contrary to prediction, there was not a significant difference in imitative fidelity across conditions. Likewise, the explanations provided by children for their copying behavior in the high attractive condition did not differ from the explanations provided by children in the low attractive condition. In Study 2, the same predictions were tested after correcting methodological flaws of Study 1. Study 2 (N = 79, 3--7-year-olds) has the same design of Study 1 with only two modifications relating to length of exposure to the model's face and to the instructions given to the child participant. As in Study 1, the data from Study 2 revealed an effect of age on imitation but not an effect of attractiveness. Although the results from these studies were not conclusive regarding the role of attractiveness, a follow up study with a different experimental manipulation may yield evidence in support of the hypothesis that the degree of imitation can be modulated by the attractiveness of the model.Item More than just a pretty face? Examining the influence of attractiveness and reporter/athlete congruity on perceived credibility(2012-08) Hahn, Dustin; Cummins, Robert G.; Zhang, WeiwuResearch examining source credibility in mass communication has demonstrated how source’s gender and attractiveness can impact perceived credibility and, subsequently, how well messages are received. This experiment extends these findings to the context of mediated sports by examining them in conjunction with athlete gender. Although source attractiveness and gender appear to have no influence, data gleaned from this experiment demonstrate that these relationships are actually dependent upon incongruity with athlete gender. A 2x2x2 between-subjects, fully-crossed experimental design with 230 participants was utilized. Results indicate that sex of the reporter, level of attractiveness of the reporter, and athlete gender impact perceptions of credibility, such that, in terms of perceived credibility, reporters of the opposite sex of the athlete benefit most if they are viewed as unattractive. Results also indicate that reporters are perceived as more credible when interviewing male athletes as opposed to female athletes. Explanations are offered for these findings in addition to a discussion of the implications for academic investigation in source credibility and pragmatic directions that this study benefits.Item The effects of exposure to attractive and unattractive infant faces on self-reported and psychophysiological affect(2016-05) Schein, Stevie Scarlett; Langlois, Judith H.; Bigler, Rebecca; Woolley, Jacqueline; Echols, Catharine; Trujillo, LoganThe primary aim of this study was to determine the trajectory of self-reported liking ratings and psychophysiological affective responses to attractive and unattractive infant stimuli over multiple exposures to determine whether these trajectories would conform to the predictions of mere exposure theory or negativity bias. Participants viewed a block of attractive and unattractive infant photographs, repeated 25 times, while their liking ratings and corrugator supercilli, levator labii superioris, and zygomaticus major muscle responses were recorded. Overall, self-reported liking ratings decreased as a function of exposure to the unattractive infant faces, indicating that repeated exposure intensifies the initial negative evaluation of those faces, rather than increasing liking for all stimuli.