The effect of Desire for Control on the autonomy and satisfaction ratings of chatbot conversations.

Abstract

This thesis studies the influence of the Desire for Control personality trait on human autonomy and satisfaction ratings of chatbot conversations. These ratings were measured after interaction with four different scenario-based chatbots. The goal of these decision-making conversations was to come up with a plan for that scenario. The first being a vacation plan, then an online food order, followed by an enrolment in a new language class and finally a registration for a coached exercise plan. The participants carried out all four scenario-based conversations. In three conversations, the freedom of choice was restricted by the chatbot. In one conversation, participants could freely decide on all options. The conversation conditions were assigned randomly. At the end, the participants autonomy and satisfaction ratings, as well as their Desire for Control were measured. There was a significant effect of the conversation condition on both the autonomy and the satisfaction ratings. Both ratings were higher in the free condition. However, there was no effect of the Desire for Control scores on the autonomy and satisfaction ratings. Despite the absence of significant effects of Desire for Control, interesting suggestions for future research are made. For example, studying the effect of other personality traits on autonomy and satisfaction. Also, a suggestion for a Human-Technology Interaction specified Desire for Control scale is made.