Presentation
Trust Propagation in Multi-Operator Multi-Agent (MOMA) Teams between Friends and Strangers
SessionPoster Session 2
DescriptionHow does trust spread between teammates in human-autonomy teams—and does it matter whether they are friends or strangers? This study examines trust propagation in multi-operator, multi-agent (MOMA) teams, where two humans and two drones collaborate on a threat-detection task. Trust propagation refers to how one teammate’s trust in a drone can shape the other's trust, even without direct interaction. Propagation potential reflects the amount of trust transfer that could occur based on teammate trust ratings. Sixty-four participants worked with either a friend or a stranger and reported trust throughout the task. Results showed that trust propagation occurred in both friend and stranger pairs. However, contrary to expectations, the magnitude of propagation did not significantly differ between groups. Friend pairs did report higher interpersonal trust. These findings reveal that while interpersonal familiarity strengthens human-to-human trust, it does not necessarily amplify trust propagation toward automation—an important distinction for designing human-autonomy teams in high-stakes environments.
Event Type
Poster
TimeWednesday, October 15th5:30pm - 6:30pm CDT
LocationRiverside East