Habituation effect in social networks as a potential factor silently crushing influence maximisation efforts

Information spreading processes are a key phenomenon observed within real and digital social networks. Network members are often under pressure from incoming information with different sources, such as informative campaigns for increasing awareness, viral marketing, rumours, fake news, or the results of other activities. Messages are often repeated, and such repetition can improve performance in the form of cumulative influence. Repeated messages may also be ignored due to a limited ability to process information. Learning processes are leading to the repeated messages being ignored, as their content has already been absorbed. In such cases, responsiveness decreases with repetition, and the habituation effect can be observed. Here, we analyse spreading processes while considering the habituation effect and performance drop along with an increased number of contacts. The ability to recover when reducing the number of messages is also considered. The results show that even low habituation and a decrease in propagation probability may substantially impact network coverage. This can lead to a significant reduction in the potential for a seed set selected with an influence maximisation method. Apart from the impact of the habituation effect on spreading processes, we show how it can be reduced with the use of the sequential seeding approach. This shows that sequential seeding is less sensitive to the habituation effect than single-stage seeding, and that it can be used to limit the negative impact on users overloaded with incoming messages.

Horizontal vs. Vertical Recommendation Zones Evaluation Using Behavior Tracking

Recommender systems play a vital role in e-commerce by increasing the likelihood of transactions and improving sales thanks to presenting personal recommendations. Due to the marketing habituation effect, users are less and less responsive to this type of content. Visual recommendation presentation, in particular the recommendation zone layout can influence the effectiveness of a recommendation. This study examines human–computer interactions for vertical, horizonal, and mixed layouts of recommending interfaces of four major e-commerce stores, and is based on our document object model events-based behavior analysis tool. Results from this implicit feedback study are presented and analyzed, showing that vertical recommendation zones attracted more attention than horizontal ones.

Come Closer: Experimental Investigation of Robots’ Appearance on Proximity, Affect and Trust in a Domestic Environment

From once being utopian, robots become more and more common in public and private social life. One area of application are robots, which are able to perform chores in domestic environments. To support users accustoming to the new robot companion, psychological mechanisms that enhance the interaction with robots need to be understood. In this research, the effects of robot’s height and manipulator position on proximity, affect and trust with regards to a humanoid robot were investigated in a laboratory experiment. Results indicated an effect of robot’s height on the comfort distance. On the other hand, a habituation effect after a second robot-human approach was found, in which the influence of the robot’s height on proximity diminished. Similar effects with an anxiety decrease and trending trust increase in the tall robot over time emphasize the importance of first encounters, which should be paid special attention to by designers of robotic systems.

Signal Words and Signal Icons in Application Control and Information Technology Exception Messages—Hazard Matching and Habituation Effects

Information technology (IT) users encounter signal words (e.g., “Warning”) and signal icons (e.g., an exclamation point) in “exception messages.” The first of two experiments reported in this paper examines the “arousal strength” associated with signal words and icons that commonly appear in exception messages. An elicitation exercise was completed by 316 participants, in which each viewed exception messages containing combinations of signal words and icons and provided their perception as to the severity of a computer problem communicated. The results allow “hazard matching”; whereby, the severity of hazard implied by the exception message can be matched to the level of the hazard. The second experiment reports a strong habituation effect in that users exhibit decreased attention to an exception message after repeated exposure, with a corresponding decrease in compliance. The effect was also found to be mitigated by increasing the arousal strength of the exception message.