Time course of person perception and evaluation as a function of competency status and human-like characteristics
Date
2025
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This research examined how competency status influences attention and evaluative processing of human agents (i.e., human faces) and non-human agents (i.e., AI faces and AI symbols). Specifically, we focused on the N170 and the P300 responses, given their associations with early face processing and motivational saliency, respectively. 43 self-identified male participants completed an impression formation task while we recorded electroencephalogram (EEG). Participants were instructed to form impressions of interaction partners that varied in human-like characteristics (i.e., human faces, AI human faces, and AI symbols) and competency status. Specifically, participants were presented with images of each target and their corresponding competency status, which was denoted by a set of stars—either high competency status (8-10 stars) or low competency status (1-3 stars). Impressions of these faces were performed in a context of ostensible future cooperative interactions with the partners. The results showed distinct ERP patterns when perceiving human and AI agents varying in competency status. ERP results revealed an interaction between human-like characteristics and competency status for N170 amplitudes, such that greater N170 amplitudes were observed in response to high-status AI faces and AI symbols compared to high-status human faces. Moreover, greater P300 amplitudes were observed in response to a) AI faces relative to human faces and AI symbols and b) high-status compared to low-status partners. This research has implications for how competency status shapes attention and evaluative processes deployed towards human and AI agents.
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Keywords
Evaluative processing, Impression formation, Human-like characteristics, Competency status