The Ripple Effect: Nature Relatedness as a Catalyst for Altruistic and Deviant Responses in Human-Robot Dynamics

While previous research has highlighted the beneficial effects of nature relatedness in interpersonal interactions, little is known about how it impacts human responses to robots. We thus propose a conceptual model to elucidate whether, how, and when nature relatedness influences responses to robots. Using data from 387 Chinese participants in a three-wave survey, we provided compelling evidence demonstrating that nature relatedness is positively correlated with human altruistic behaviors toward robots and negatively correlated with human deviant behaviors toward robots. Moreover, nature relatedness indirectly strengthened altruistic responses to robots and attenuated deviant responses, mediated by psychological richness. Notably, growth mindsets about human minds (GMHM) moderated the indirect effect of nature relatedness on deviant behaviors toward robots via psychological richness, this negative indirect effect was stronger among individuals with high level of GMHM. Collectively, these findings underscore the unique role of nature relatedness and elucidate its underlying psychological mechanism in shaping human-robot interactions.