Modulations of one’s sense of agency during human–machine interactions: A behavioural study using a full humanoid robot

Although previous investigations reported a reduced sense of agency when individuals act with traditional machines, little is known about the mechanisms underpinning interactions with human-like automata. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to investigate the effect of the machine’s physical appearance on the individuals’ sense of agency and (2) to explore the cognitive mechanisms underlying the individuals’ sense of agency when they are engaged in a joint task. Twenty-eight participants performed a joint Simon task together with another human or an automated artificial system as a co-agent. The physical appearance of the automated artificial system was manipulated so that participants could cooperate either with a servomotor or a full humanoid robot during the joint task. Both participants’ response times and temporal estimations of action-output delays (i.e., an implicit measure of agency) were collected. Results showed that participants’ sense of agency for self- and other-generated actions sharply declined during interactions with the servomotor compared with the human–human interactions. Interestingly, participants’ sense of agency for self- and other-generated actions was reinforced when participants interacted with the humanoid robot compared with the servomotor. These results are discussed further.