The importance of incorporating risk into human-automation trust

Abstract

A key psychological component of interactions in both human-human and human-automation relationships is trust. Although trust has repeatedly been conceptualized as having a component of risk, the role risk plays, as well as what elements of risk impact trust (e.g., perceived risk, risk-taking propensity), has not been clearly explained. Upon reviewing the foundational theories of trust, it is clear that trust is only needed when risk exists or is perceived to exist, in both human-human and human-automation contexts. Within the limited research that has explored human-automation trust and risk, it has been found that the presence of risk and a participant’s perceived situational risk impacts their behavioural trust of the automation. In addition, perceived relational risk has a strong negative relationship with trust. We provide an enhanced model of trust to demonstrate how risk interacts with trust, incorporating these distinct perceived risks, as well as risk-taking propensity. This model identifies the unique interactions of these components with trust based on both the theory reviewed and the studies that have explored some aspects of these relationships. Guidelines are provided for improving the study of human-automation trust via the incorporation of risk.

Keywords:

• perceived relational risk
• perceived situational risk
• trust
• perceived risk
• human-automation interaction
• risk

Acknowledgements

A special thank you to the Sonification lab for their support throughout the writing of this paper.

Disclosure statement

The authors of this paper certify that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rachel E. Stuck

Rachel E. Stuck is a Usability Engineer at Symbio Robotics. She received her PhD in Engineering Psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2020. Her primary research while pursuing her PhD focused on trust, risk, automation, and human-robot interaction. For her thesis she developed and validated psychological scales of perceived relational and situational risk.

Brianna J. Tomlinson

Brianna J. Tomlinson received her PhD in Human-Centered Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2020. Throughout her PhD, she collaborated on numerous accessibility projects, including a grant to develop and evaluate accessible auditory displays for PhET Interactive Simulations. Her thesis investigated the effects of audio cues and Virtual Reality on an interactive space learning tool.

Bruce N. Walker

Bruce Walker is a Professor at Georgia Tech, in the Schools of Psychology and Interactive Computing. His Sonification Lab studies the human-computer interaction (HCI) issues in non-traditional interfaces, ranging from mobile devices, to cockpits and vehicle displays, to multimodal interfaces in education and in complex task environments. Particular research interests include sonification and auditory displays. Professor Walker teaches HCI, Research Methods, Sensation & Perception, Auditory Interfaces, and Assistive Technology. In addition to academic research leading to over 250 publications, he has worked and consulted on projects for NASA, state and federal governments, the military, and private companies.