Social capabilities across human development | Part 7
A greeting or conversational pause that feels natural to you may not feel natural to someone else. Measuring social capability through one pattern can turn differences into supposed deficiencies. Instead, consider checking preferences and finding ways to act together.
A greeting without a handshake
One colleague offers a hand to someone they have just met. The other places a hand on their chest and bows slightly. The first withdraws the offered hand and returns the bow. They then sit down and begin discussing work.
This is fictional. A person may avoid a handshake because of culture, health, or personal preference. A different greeting is not evidence of unfriendliness. Receiving that alternative and beginning a relationship shows social adjustment.
Development is not separate from culture
Wellman and colleagues' comparison of Chinese and English-speaking children reported shared and socioculturally differing aspects of theory-of-mind understanding. It helps us avoid describing development through a single route. See Scaling of theory-of-mind understandings in Chinese children.
House and colleagues' research across multiple societies provides material for considering the development of cooperation and cultural norms. See Ontogeny of prosocial behavior across diverse societies. These comparisons do not show that nationality reveals an individual's preference.
After childhood, moving to a new school, workplace, or community can also invite relearning familiar behavior. This article treats encountering differences as an opportunity to check assumptions.
Respecting difference still leaves conditions to uphold
Multiple forms of conversational timing or distance do not justify harming safety or rights. Distinguish preferences that people can negotiate from conditions that need protection.
Greeting styles can be adjusted mutually. Continuing unwanted contact because it is one's custom does not respect the other person's preference. Preserve both people's choices and consider how to act together safely.
Do not extend an observed difference into a characterization of an entire group. Someone who is quiet today need not always be quiet. Listen to the person's current explanation before generalizing about nationality.
A design hypothesis for physical AI
Rather than fixing greeting movements from nationality or age in a profile, a possible design checks the person's preference among permitted options. A remembered preference should retain its context and timing and remain changeable.
Do not relax safety or information-sharing conditions based on assumed familiarity or culture. If a person declines a handshake, verify that the robot actually withdraws its hand and switches its greeting.
Evaluation could include different preferences among people sharing an attribute and identical preferences among people with different attributes. The proposal is to examine alignment with the person's confirmed preference, rather than scoring stereotyped behavior as culturally correct.
A decision in four panels
- A handshake is offered.
- The other person chooses a bow.
- The offered hand is withdrawn and the bow returned.
- A work conversation begins calmly.
This fictional comic uses neither national flags nor rankings of cultures. It shows that a relationship can start through different greetings.
References
- Scaling of theory-of-mind understandings in Chinese children
- Ontogeny of prosocial behavior across diverse societies
About this series
This series uses published literature to examine everyday situations. Its 7 domains and 22 capabilities are an editorial framework, not a standard academic classification. Differences in age or culture are not rankings of people's social worth or capability. The proposed AI designs do not establish humanlike emotional experience or demonstrated product performance. The comics illustrate fictional examples.
LOGIHEART's research and development vision
LOGIHEART is researching how to implement social capabilities in physical AI that interacts with people.
Explore the research and development vision at the LOGIHEART website and in the English introduction video.
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