Computers and people alike investigating the similarity-attraction paradigm in persuasive technology

Abstract

A study is presented that tests the relation between the (perceived) personality of an online interactive system and the personality of its user. We expected a system with a dominant interaction style to be more persuasive than a submissive one. Moreover, we expected people with dominant personalities to be persuaded more by a dominant system, while people with submissive personalities would be persuaded more by a submissive one. These expectations were tested in a study where participants were provided with automated persuasive messages that had either a dominant or a submissive style. Results support our hypotheses and show that the similarity-attraction paradigm can be extended to persuasive technologies. However, findings also show that the dominant system is perceived as less likable. Although it is hard to predict whether these effects occur in real-world settings, the current work could help creating technologies that adapt their persuasive messages to their users.