Zhang Qiaoning, Yang X Jessie, Robert Lionel P
Human Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ, USA.
Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 11;15(1):16364. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-00884-9.
Existing research on human-automated vehicle (AV) interactions has largely focused on auditory explanations, with less attention to how voice characteristics shape user trust. This paper explores the influence of gender similarity between users and AV voices and the role of gender-role congruity rooted in societal stereotypes on cognitive and affective trust in AVs. Findings reveal that gender-role congruity moderates the relationship between gender similarity and trust. When an AV's voice gender aligns with its expected role, gender similarity enhances cognitive and affective trust. However, when gender roles were not congruent, the trust-enhancing effect of gender similarity diminishes. These findings highlight the importance of considering gender in AV voice design for conveying critical driving information and reveal how societal stereotypes shape AV design. The study offers insights for enhancing user trust and acceptance of AV technology, suggesting future research directions for developing AV systems that avoid reinforcing social biases.
现有的关于人类与自动驾驶汽车（AV）交互的研究主要集中在听觉解释上，较少关注语音特征如何塑造用户信任。本文探讨了用户与AV语音之间的性别相似性的影响，以及植根于社会刻板印象的性别角色一致性对AV认知和情感信任的作用。研究结果表明，性别角色一致性调节了性别相似性与信任之间的关系。当AV的语音性别与其预期角色一致时，性别相似性会增强认知和情感信任。然而，当性别角色不一致时，性别相似性的信任增强效果会减弱。这些发现凸显了在AV语音设计中考虑性别因素以传达关键驾驶信息的重要性，并揭示了社会刻板印象如何塑造AV设计。该研究为增强用户对AV技术的信任和接受度提供了见解，为开发避免强化社会偏见的AV系统提出了未来的研究方向。
