Bidirectional Communications in Human–Agent Teaming: The Effect of Communication Style

Author(s):

Julia L Wright, Shan G Lakhmani, Michael R Schwartz, and Jessie YC Chen

Abstract:

This study examined the effects of communication style on human performance, trust, situation awareness, and perceptions of a robot in a human–robot team. In a 2 × 2 mixed-factor study, 32 participants conducted a simulated cordon-and-search-style task while teamed with a robot. Participants were assigned to a communication style (directive vs. nondirective; within) and both groups experienced periods of high versus low task load (among subjects). Results indicate task load was a greater influence on the participants’ task performance than communication style, although there were some differential effects on response time and workload due to communication style. This may be due to a difference in feedback inherent in the differing communication styles.