Hi everyone! I wanted to share a quick update on my Laidlaw research project and connect with others who might be working on similar themes.
My research, under the guidance of Professor Aristeidis Theotokis at the University of Leeds, explores how chatbot personality traits—specifically agreeableness—influence consumer trust, empathy, and purchase intention, with a cross-cultural focus on individualist (UK/US) vs. collectivist (China) cultures.
So far, I’ve:
- Finalised a two-condition experimental design (agreeable vs. non-agreeable chatbot),
- Identified and validated key constructs (e.g., trust, competence, warmth, empathy, anthropomorphism),
- Designed a questionnaire using existing psychometric measures from peer-reviewed sources,
- Gained insight into the role of AI emotional intelligence and how small language changes influence perceived trust and service satisfaction,
- Learned to balance experimental rigour with practical design (and how tricky ethical approvals and funding logistics can be!).
What I’ve found most fascinating so far is how something as subtle as empathetic phrasing or courteous tone in a chatbot can meaningfully change consumer perceptions. It’s made me think deeply about the future of AI-human interaction, particularly in digital retail spaces.
I’d love to hear from other scholars:
- Has anyone explored cross-cultural perception or AI ethics?
- How have you navigated testing psychological variables like warmth or empathy experimentally?
- Any advice for recruiting participants across different cultures effectively?
Looking forward to hearing about your projects too!