Based on the theoretical framework of agency effect, this study examined the role of affect in influencing the effects of chatbot versus human brand representatives in the context of health marketing communication about HPV vaccines. We conducted a 2 (perceived agency: chatbot vs. human) × 3 (affect elicitation: embarrassment, anger, neutral) between-subject lab experiment with 142 participants, who were randomly assigned to interact with either a perceived chatbot or a human representative. Key findings from self-reported and behavioral data highlight the complexity of consumer–chatbot communication. Specifically, participants reported lower interaction satisfaction with the chatbot than with the human representative when anger was evoked. However, participants were more likely to disclose concerns of HPV risks and provide more elaborate answers to the perceived human representative when embarrassment was elicited. Overall, the chatbot performed comparably to the human representative in terms of perceived usefulness and influence over participants' compliance intention in all emotional contexts. The findings complement the Computers as Social Actors paradigm and offer strategic guidelines to capitalize on the relative advantages of chatbot versus human representatives.

中文翻译：

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人类与聊天机器人：了解情绪在疫苗健康营销传播中的作用

基于代理效应的理论框架，本研究检验了在有关 HPV 疫苗的健康营销传播背景下，情感在影响聊天机器人与人类品牌代表的效果方面的作用。我们对 142 名参与者进行了 2（感知机构：聊天机器人与人类）×3（情感引发：尴尬、愤怒、中立）的受试者间实验室实验，这些参与者被随机分配与感知聊天机器人或人类代表进行交互。自我报告和行为数据的主要发现突出了消费者与聊天机器人通信的复杂性。具体来说，当激怒时，参与者对聊天机器人的交互满意度低于与人类代表的交互满意度。然而，当引起尴尬时，参与者更有可能披露对 HPV 风险的担忧，并为感知到的人类代表提供更详尽的答案。总体而言，聊天机器人在感知有用性和对所有情感环境中参与者合规意图的影响方面与人类代表相当。这些发现补充了计算机作为社会参与者的范式，并提供了战略指导，以利用聊天机器人与人类代表的相对优势。