ScholarWorks@성균관대학교

초록

With the increasing demand for fundraising and limited human resources, a shift has been observed toward replacing human agents with virtual agents. We investigate whether virtual agents may utilize fundraising strategies that are effective in human-to-human interactions, such as the foot-in-the-door (FITD) technique, by exploring the direct effect of FITD on willingness to donate (WTD) and the mediating roles of self-image concern and empathy. Moreover, we examine the moderating role of anthropomorphism in both direct and indirect relationships. A total of 655 participants, recruited from an online crowdsourcing platform, were included in the final analysis. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions (standard message vs. FITD x robotic vs. human-like) and interacted with a virtual fundraising agent in the metaverse. The results show that WTD is higher when people are exposed to FITD than to a standard message. The mediating roles of self-image and empathy are also significant. We did not find a moderating role of anthropomorphism in the direct effect between FITD and WTD or in the indirect effect through empathy toward a victim. However, the results reveal a significant moderating role of anthropomorphism in the indirect relationship through self-image concern.

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