Anthropomorphism of Textured “Faces”

Abstract

Participants rated machine “faces” which varied in terms of facial feature shape, face shape, and eight facial background textures. Ratings were made for aggression, friendliness, intelligence, trustworthiness, and degree of animation. In addition, reaction time was collected for all ratings. Rough metal and blank facial backgrounds were perceived most trustworthy. Rough metal also had the highest mean friendliness. However, across ratings, face shape and feature shape proved to have more predictive validity than did the materials making up the face. It is likely that when faced with ambiguous objects, such as the front of a novel military vehicle, people project anthropomorphic features and then make judgments accordingly.