Don't Want to Look Dumb? The Role of Theories of Intelligence and Humanlike Features in Online Help Seeking

Psychol Sci. 2018 Feb;29(2):171-180. doi: 10.1177/0956797617730595. Epub 2017 Dec 14.

Abstract

Numerous studies have shown that individuals' help-seeking behavior increases when a computerized helper is endowed with humanlike features in nonachievement contexts. In contrast, the current research suggests that anthropomorphic helpers are not universally conducive to help-seeking behavior in contexts of achievement, particularly among individuals who construe help seeking as a display of incompetence (i.e., entity theorists). Study 1 demonstrated that when entity theorists received help from an anthropomorphized (vs. a nonanthropomorphized) helper, they were more concerned about negative judgments from other people, whereas incremental theorists were not affected by anthropomorphic features. Study 2 showed that when help was provided by an anthropomorphized (vs. a nonanthropomorphized) helper, entity theorists were less likely to seek help, even at the cost of lower performance. In contrast, incremental theorists' help-seeking behavior and task performance were not affected by anthropomorphism. This research deepens the current understanding of the role of anthropomorphic computerized helpers in online learning contexts.

Keywords: anthropomorphism; help seeking; online learning; open data; open materials; task performance; theories of intelligence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Achievement
  • Adult
  • Female
  • Help-Seeking Behavior*
  • Humans
  • Intelligence*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Social Perception*
  • Task Performance and Analysis*
  • Young Adult