Whether We Care, How We Reason: The Dual Role of Anthropomorphism and Moral Foundations in Robot Abuse

As robots become increasingly integrated into daily life, understanding responses to robot mistreatment carries important ethical and design implications. This mixed-methods study (N = 201) examined how anthropomorphic levels and moral foundations shape reactions to robot abuse. Participants viewed videos depicting physical mistreatment of robots varying in humanness (Spider, Twofoot, Humanoid) and completed measures assessing moral foundations, anger, and social distance. Results revealed that anthropomorphism determines whether people extend moral consideration to robots, while moral foundations shape how they reason about such consideration. Qualitative analysis revealed distinct reasoning patterns: low-progressivism individuals employed character-based judgments, while high-progressivism individuals engaged in future-oriented moral deliberation. Findings offer implications for robot design and policy communication.