More Like this

1. Finding “H” in HRI: Examining Human Personality Traits, Robotic Anthropomorphism, and Robot Likeability in Human-Robot Interaction

   Arora, A. S.; Fleming, M.; Arora, A.; Taras, V.; Xu, J. (January 2021, International journal of intelligent information technologies)

   null (Ed.)

   The study examines the relationship between the big five personality traits (extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness) and robot likeability and successful HRI implementation in varying human-robot interaction (HRI) situations. Further, this research investigates the influence of human-like attributes in robots (a.k.a. robotic anthropomorphism) on the likeability of robots. The research found that robotic anthropomorphism positively influences the relationship between human personality variables (e.g., extraversion and agreeableness) and robot likeability in human interaction with social robots. Further, anthropomorphism positively influences extraversion and robot likeability during industrial robotic interactions with humans. Extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism were found to play a significant role. This research bridges the gap by providing an in-depth understanding of the big five human personality traits, robotic anthropomorphism, and robot likeability in social-collaborative robotics. 

   more » « less
2. Exploring the Impact of Innovation Competitions on Student Self-Awareness and Growth Through AI and Human Analysis

   https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2025.609  

   Konak, Abdullah (January 2025, Scholar Space)

   Student Innovation Competitions and Programs (ICPs), including design challenges, hackathons, startup competitions, and boot camps, play a critical role in entrepreneurship and innovation education. These programs foster students' technical skills, networking opportunities, and innovation mindsets. However, the literature lacks an exploration of ICPs' transformative impact on students' entrepreneurial mindsets, which involves profound changes in students' values and abilities. This study addresses this gap by applying the Transformative Learning Theory (TLT) to examine how ICPs can be transformative experiences for students. Using a qualitative inductive approach, semi-structured interviews with 36 students who participated in ICPs were conducted. Thematic analysis was performed using both human coders and ChatGPT 4.0 to identify the strengths and weaknesses realized by students during ICPs. The results showed a high level of agreement between human and AI-generated codes, highlighting ICPs' role in enhancing self-awareness and personal growth. Key strengths discovered included communication skills, leadership, problem-solving, organizational skills, tenacity, and interpersonal skills, while common weaknesses were noted as time management, communication challenges, lack of self-advocacy, trust issues, inflexibility, conflict management, and stress and anxiety. These findings suggest that ICPs are instrumental in fostering an entrepreneurial and innovation mindset, but organizers should address time management and stress issues to maximize benefits to students. 

   more » « less
3. The Role of Serotonergic Gene Methylation in Regulating Anxiety-Related Personality Traits in Chimpanzees

   https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11111673  

   Staes, Nicky; Guevara, Elaine E.; Hopkins, William D.; Schapiro, Steven J.; Eens, Marcel; Sherwood, Chet C.; Bradley, Brenda J. (November 2022, Biology)

   While low serotonergic activity is often associated with psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, mood, and personality disorders, variations in serotonin also contribute to normal personality differences. In this study, we investigated the role of blood DNA methylation levels at individual CpG sites of two key serotonergic genes (serotonin receptor gene 1A, HTR1A; serotonin transporter gene, SLC6A4) in predicting the personalities of captive chimpanzees. We found associations between methylation at 9/48 CpG sites with four personality dimensions: Dominance, Reactivity/Dependability, Agreeableness, and Openness. Directionality of effects were CpG location-dependent and confirmed a role of serotonergic methylation in reducing anxiety (Dominance) and aggression-related personality (Reactivity/Undependability) while simultaneously promoting prosocial (Agreeableness) and exploratory personalities (Openness). Although early-life adversity has been shown to impact serotonergic methylation patterns in other species, here, atypical early social rearing experiences only had a modest impact on CpG methylation levels in this chimpanzee sample. The precise environmental factors impacting serotonergic methylation in chimpanzees remain to be identified. Nevertheless, our study suggests a role in shaping natural variation in animal personalities. The results of this study offer a basis for future hypothesis-driven testing in additional populations and species to better understand the impact of ecology and evolution on complex behavioral traits. 

   more » « less
4. Student Learning in International Research Programs: A Comparison Across Cultural Contexts

   Davis, K.; Jalali, Y.; Lohani, V.; Knight, D.; Müller, R. (January 2018, ASEE Annual Conference proceedings)

   Engineering work is becoming increasingly global in nature, making it essential that engineering students develop global competence [1], [2]. However, traditional global programs (e.g., study abroad) present challenges for engineering students who often have to fit such experiences within a highly structured curricular schedule. Further, study abroad can be a financial burden for many students who are already paying significant amounts to attend college [3], [4]. One type of global engineering program that has the potential to address these challenges are international research experiences, which typically take place during the summer and provide students with a salary. Research has suggested that such experiences can meaningfully influence students’ global competence [5], but few studies have explored how components of the experience may influence learning. This study compares two NSF-sponsored international research experiences for students (IRES) programs that send students to two different countries to identify differences in learning outcomes between the program participants. This work represents a collaborative effort among faculty members and graduate students from three engineering departments with the goal of creating research opportunities for students at various international sites using research-based educational practices. By understanding how context influences students’ learning opportunities, faculty developing such programs may select research locations more intentionally or offer supplemental programming for students to ensure they achieve all of the program’s intended learning outcomes. 

   more » « less
5. Exploring the Relationship between Mindfulness and Personality to Improve Construction Safety and Work Performance

   Solomon, T.; Esmaeili, B. (March 2020, Construction Research Congress 2020)

   The construction industry still leads the world as one of the sectors with the most work-related injuries and worker fatalities. Recent studies show that both a state of mindfulness and various personality traits contribute to individuals’ safety and work performance. This study examines the relationship between mindfulness and personality by measuring the mindfulness state of individuals against their personality traits. To achieve this objective, data were collected from a sample of 55 undergraduate students at George Mason University. Scores from the Big Five Inventory were ranked by each traits’ score (independent variable) and split into three groups: high, moderate, and low scores. The corresponding mindfulness scores (dependent variable) were analyzed to determine the relationship between high/low personality traits and mindfulness. Comparing the high/low groups using statistical analyses showed that three of the five personality traits—conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism—significantly correlate with higher mindfulness scores of individuals. As mindfulness has been shown to increase individual safety and work performance and to reduce stress, the results of this study help inform future work into translating personality and mindfulness characteristics into factors that predict specific elements of unsafe human behaviors. 

   more » « less