Social Response and Cultural Dependency in Human-Computer Interaction

Human-Computer interaction may be correlated with social interaction and cultural norms. We examined how Japanese and American people respond to a computer as a social entity and how cultural di erences between Japanese and American behavioral norms in reciprocal social interaction play a role in this response. Reciprocity is the most powerful and universal factor governing social interaction between humans. This study explores the validity of the hypothesis that HumanComputer interaction displays the same dynamics as Human-Human interaction. The results of the experiment indicate that people exhibit behaviors in accordance with social norms of reciprocity, and that there is cultural dependence in people's reaction to computers.