Nils Köbis
Biographic Data
| ID | 209305 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nils Köbis |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nils |
| FAMILY NAME | Köbis |
| SIGNATURE | KÖBIS N |
| AFFILIATIONS | Max Planck Institute for Human Development |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0608-7333 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 59 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Understanding the minds of voice assistants—How do perceived technical understanding and mind attribution influence trust and satisfaction over time?
Voice assistants are widely used, but like other AI-based dialogue systems, their functioning is opaque to users. Little is known about how the (mis)understanding of the system’s human-like functioning influences users’ trust. This study scrutinizes how the (perceived) understanding of a voice assistant’s functioning and the attribution of a (human-like) mind influence trust in the system and the resulting satisfaction. The study employed a six-w…
Social Preferences Toward Humans and Machines: A Systematic Experiment on the Role of Machine Payoffs
There is growing interest in the field of cooperative artificial intelligence (AI), that is, settings in which humans and machines cooperate. By now, more than 160 studies from various disciplines have reported on how people cooperate with machines in behavioral experiments. Our systematic review of the experimental instructions reveals that the implementation of the machine payoffs and the information participants receive about them differ drast…
Does AI and human advice mitigate punishment for selfish behavior? An experiment on AI ethics from a psychological perspective
People increasingly rely on AI-advice when making decisions. At times, such advice can promote selfish behavior. When individuals abide by selfishness-promoting AI advice, how are they perceived and punished? To study this question, we build on theories from social psychology and combine machine-behavior and behavioral economic approaches. In a pre-registered, financially-incentivized experiment, evaluators could punish real decision-makers who (…
Designing algorithms against corruption: A conjoint study on communicative features to encourage intentions for collective action
The Social Psychology of Corruption
The special issue focuses on the social–psychological mechanisms behind corruption, emphasizing the role of social norms, power dynamics, cultural perspectives and gender in shaping corrupt behaviours. The special issue highlights the importance of understanding how shared expectations, cultural influences and organizational structures sustain or mitigate unethical conduct. By integrating interdisciplinary approaches, the collection presents new …
Effectiveness of Ex-Ante Honesty Oaths in Reducing Dishonesty Depends on Content
Dishonest behaviors such as tax evasion impose significant societal costs. Ex-ante honesty oaths—commitments to honesty before action—have been proposed as interventions to counteract dishonest behavior, but the heterogeneity in findings across operationalizations calls their effectiveness into question. We tested 21 honesty oaths (including a baseline oath)—proposed, evaluated, and selected by 44 expert researchers—and a no-oath condition in a m…
People have different expectations for their own versus others' use of AI-mediated communication tools
Artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance human communication, for example, by improving the quality of our writing, voice or appearance. However, AI mediated communication also has risks-it may increase deception, compromise authenticity or yield widespread mistrust. As a result, both policymakers and technology firms are developing approaches to prevent and reduce potentially unacceptable uses of AI communication technologies. However, we do not…
Effectiveness of ex ante honesty oaths in reducing dishonesty depends on content
Risks and protective measures for synthetic relationships
Conservatism Negatively Predicts Creativity: A Study Across 28 Countries
Previous studies have found a negative relationship between creativity and conservatism. However, as these studies were mostly conducted on samples of homogeneous nationality, the generalizability of the effect across different cultures is unknown. We addressed this gap by conducting a study in 28 countries. Based on the notion that attitudes can be shaped by both environmental and ecological factors, we hypothesized that parasite stress can also…
Corrupted by Algorithms? How AI-generated and Human-written Advice Shape (Dis)honesty
Artificial intelligence increasingly becomes an indispensable advisor. New ethical concerns arise if artificial intelligence persuades people to behave dishonestly. In an experiment, we study how artificial intelligence advice (generated by a natural language processing algorithm) affects (dis)honesty, compare it to equivalent human advice and test whether transparency about the advice source matters. We find that dishonesty-promoting advice incr…
Artificial intelligence versus Maya Angelou: Experimental evidence that people cannot differentiate AI-generated from human-written poetry
The release of openly available, robust natural language generation algorithms (NLG) has spurred much public attention and debate. One reason lies in the algorithms' purported ability to generate humanlike text across various domains. Empirical evidence using incentivized tasks to assess whether people (a) can distinguish and (b) prefer algorithm-generated versus human-written text is lacking. We conducted two experiments assessing behavioral rea…
Affective Interpersonal Touch in Close Relationships: A Cross-Cultural Perspective
Interpersonal touch behavior differs across cultures, yet no study to date has systematically tested for cultural variation in affective touch, nor examined the factors that might account for this variability. Here, over 14,000 individuals from 45 countries were asked whether they embraced, stroked, kissed, or hugged their partner, friends, and youngest child during the week preceding the study. We then examined a range of hypothesized individual…
Moral Uncanny Valley: A Robot’s Appearance Moderates How its Decisions are Judged
Artificial intelligence and robotics are rapidly advancing. Humans are increasingly often affected by autonomous machines making choices with moral repercussions. At the same time, classical research in robotics shows that people are adverse to robots that appear eerily human—a phenomenon commonly referred to as the uncanny valley effect. Yet, little is known about how machines’ appearances influence how human evaluate their moral choices. Here w…
Collaborative dishonesty: A meta-analytic review
10,923). We provide an overview of all tasks used to measure collaborative dishonesty, and inform theory by conducting moderation analyses. Results reveal that collaborative dishonesty is higher (a) when financial incentives are high, (b) in lab than field studies, (c) when third parties experience no negative consequences, (d) in the absence of experimental deception, and (e) when groups consist of more males and (f) younger individuals. Further…
Bad machines corrupt good morals
Sex Differences in Mate Preferences Across 45 Countries: A Large-Scale Replication
Considerable research has examined human mate preferences across cultures, finding universal sex differences in preferences for attractiveness and resources as well as sources of systematic cultural variation. Two competing perspectives—an evolutionary psychological perspective and a biosocial role perspective—offer alternative explanations for these findings. However, the original data on which each perspective relies are decades old, and the li…
Universality of the Triangular Theory of Love: Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Triangular Love Scale in 25 Countries
The Triangular Theory of Love (measured with Sternberg's Triangular Love Scale - STLS) is a prominent theoretical concept in empirical research on love. To expand the culturally homogeneous body of previous psychometric research regarding the STLS, we conducted a large-scale cross-cultural study with the use of this scale. In total, we examined more than 11,000 respondents, but as a result of applied exclusion criteria, the final analyses were ba…
Assortative mating and the evolution of desirability covariation
Social norms of corruption in the field: Social nudges on posters can help to reduce bribery
Corruption in the form of bribery continues to be a major societal challenge around the world. The current lab-in-the-field study tested whether dynamic descriptive norms messages on posters can help to reduce bribery. Before, during and after placing posters throughout a medium-sized South African town, incentivized measures of social norms and bribery were assessed in a mobile lab. A total of 311 participants stemming from the general populatio…
False consensus in situational judgment tests: What would others do
"Cross-Cultural Differences in a Global "Survey of World Views
We know that there are cross-cultural differences in psychological variables, such as individualism/collectivism. But it has not been clear which of these variables show relatively the greatest differences. The Survey of World Views project operated from the premise that such issues are best addressed in a diverse sampling of countries representing a majority of the world's population, with a very large range of item-content. Data were collected …
"Cross-Cultural Differences in a Global "Survey of World Views
We know that there are cross-cultural differences in psychological variables, such as individualism/collectivism. But it has not been clear which of these variables show relatively the greatest differences. The Survey of World Views project operated from the premise that such issues are best addressed in a diverse sampling of countries representing a majority of the world's population, with a very large range of item-content. Data were collected …
Social norms of corruption in the field: Social nudges on posters can help to reduce bribery
Corruption in the form of bribery continues to be a major societal challenge around the world. The current lab-in-the-field study tested whether dynamic descriptive norms messages on posters can help to reduce bribery. Before, during and after placing posters throughout a medium-sized South African town, incentivized measures of social norms and bribery were assessed in a mobile lab. A total of 311 participants stemming from the general populatio…
Universality of the Triangular Theory of Love: Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Triangular Love Scale in 25 Countries
The Triangular Theory of Love (measured with Sternberg's Triangular Love Scale - STLS) is a prominent theoretical concept in empirical research on love. To expand the culturally homogeneous body of previous psychometric research regarding the STLS, we conducted a large-scale cross-cultural study with the use of this scale. In total, we examined more than 11,000 respondents, but as a result of applied exclusion criteria, the final analyses were ba…
Bad machines corrupt good morals
Corrupted by Algorithms? How AI-generated and Human-written Advice Shape (Dis)honesty
Artificial intelligence increasingly becomes an indispensable advisor. New ethical concerns arise if artificial intelligence persuades people to behave dishonestly. In an experiment, we study how artificial intelligence advice (generated by a natural language processing algorithm) affects (dis)honesty, compare it to equivalent human advice and test whether transparency about the advice source matters. We find that dishonesty-promoting advice incr…
People have different expectations for their own versus others' use of AI-mediated communication tools
Artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance human communication, for example, by improving the quality of our writing, voice or appearance. However, AI mediated communication also has risks-it may increase deception, compromise authenticity or yield widespread mistrust. As a result, both policymakers and technology firms are developing approaches to prevent and reduce potentially unacceptable uses of AI communication technologies. However, we do not…
Effectiveness of ex ante honesty oaths in reducing dishonesty depends on content
Conservatism Negatively Predicts Creativity: A Study Across 28 Countries
Previous studies have found a negative relationship between creativity and conservatism. However, as these studies were mostly conducted on samples of homogeneous nationality, the generalizability of the effect across different cultures is unknown. We addressed this gap by conducting a study in 28 countries. Based on the notion that attitudes can be shaped by both environmental and ecological factors, we hypothesized that parasite stress can also…
False consensus in situational judgment tests: What would others do
"Cross-Cultural Differences in a Global "Survey of World Views
We know that there are cross-cultural differences in psychological variables, such as individualism/collectivism. But it has not been clear which of these variables show relatively the greatest differences. The Survey of World Views project operated from the premise that such issues are best addressed in a diverse sampling of countries representing a majority of the world's population, with a very large range of item-content. Data were collected …
False consensus in situational judgment tests: What would others do
Assortative mating and the evolution of desirability covariation
Social norms of corruption in the field: Social nudges on posters can help to reduce bribery
Corruption in the form of bribery continues to be a major societal challenge around the world. The current lab-in-the-field study tested whether dynamic descriptive norms messages on posters can help to reduce bribery. Before, during and after placing posters throughout a medium-sized South African town, incentivized measures of social norms and bribery were assessed in a mobile lab. A total of 311 participants stemming from the general populatio…
Sex Differences in Mate Preferences Across 45 Countries: A Large-Scale Replication
Considerable research has examined human mate preferences across cultures, finding universal sex differences in preferences for attractiveness and resources as well as sources of systematic cultural variation. Two competing perspectives—an evolutionary psychological perspective and a biosocial role perspective—offer alternative explanations for these findings. However, the original data on which each perspective relies are decades old, and the li…
Universality of the Triangular Theory of Love: Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Triangular Love Scale in 25 Countries
The Triangular Theory of Love (measured with Sternberg's Triangular Love Scale - STLS) is a prominent theoretical concept in empirical research on love. To expand the culturally homogeneous body of previous psychometric research regarding the STLS, we conducted a large-scale cross-cultural study with the use of this scale. In total, we examined more than 11,000 respondents, but as a result of applied exclusion criteria, the final analyses were ba…
Artificial intelligence versus Maya Angelou: Experimental evidence that people cannot differentiate AI-generated from human-written poetry
The release of openly available, robust natural language generation algorithms (NLG) has spurred much public attention and debate. One reason lies in the algorithms' purported ability to generate humanlike text across various domains. Empirical evidence using incentivized tasks to assess whether people (a) can distinguish and (b) prefer algorithm-generated versus human-written text is lacking. We conducted two experiments assessing behavioral rea…
Affective Interpersonal Touch in Close Relationships: A Cross-Cultural Perspective
Interpersonal touch behavior differs across cultures, yet no study to date has systematically tested for cultural variation in affective touch, nor examined the factors that might account for this variability. Here, over 14,000 individuals from 45 countries were asked whether they embraced, stroked, kissed, or hugged their partner, friends, and youngest child during the week preceding the study. We then examined a range of hypothesized individual…
Moral Uncanny Valley: A Robot’s Appearance Moderates How its Decisions are Judged
Artificial intelligence and robotics are rapidly advancing. Humans are increasingly often affected by autonomous machines making choices with moral repercussions. At the same time, classical research in robotics shows that people are adverse to robots that appear eerily human—a phenomenon commonly referred to as the uncanny valley effect. Yet, little is known about how machines’ appearances influence how human evaluate their moral choices. Here w…
Collaborative dishonesty: A meta-analytic review
10,923). We provide an overview of all tasks used to measure collaborative dishonesty, and inform theory by conducting moderation analyses. Results reveal that collaborative dishonesty is higher (a) when financial incentives are high, (b) in lab than field studies, (c) when third parties experience no negative consequences, (d) in the absence of experimental deception, and (e) when groups consist of more males and (f) younger individuals. Further…
Bad machines corrupt good morals
Corrupted by Algorithms? How AI-generated and Human-written Advice Shape (Dis)honesty
Artificial intelligence increasingly becomes an indispensable advisor. New ethical concerns arise if artificial intelligence persuades people to behave dishonestly. In an experiment, we study how artificial intelligence advice (generated by a natural language processing algorithm) affects (dis)honesty, compare it to equivalent human advice and test whether transparency about the advice source matters. We find that dishonesty-promoting advice incr…
Effectiveness of Ex-Ante Honesty Oaths in Reducing Dishonesty Depends on Content
Dishonest behaviors such as tax evasion impose significant societal costs. Ex-ante honesty oaths—commitments to honesty before action—have been proposed as interventions to counteract dishonest behavior, but the heterogeneity in findings across operationalizations calls their effectiveness into question. We tested 21 honesty oaths (including a baseline oath)—proposed, evaluated, and selected by 44 expert researchers—and a no-oath condition in a m…
People have different expectations for their own versus others' use of AI-mediated communication tools
Artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance human communication, for example, by improving the quality of our writing, voice or appearance. However, AI mediated communication also has risks-it may increase deception, compromise authenticity or yield widespread mistrust. As a result, both policymakers and technology firms are developing approaches to prevent and reduce potentially unacceptable uses of AI communication technologies. However, we do not…
Effectiveness of ex ante honesty oaths in reducing dishonesty depends on content
Risks and protective measures for synthetic relationships
Conservatism Negatively Predicts Creativity: A Study Across 28 Countries
Previous studies have found a negative relationship between creativity and conservatism. However, as these studies were mostly conducted on samples of homogeneous nationality, the generalizability of the effect across different cultures is unknown. We addressed this gap by conducting a study in 28 countries. Based on the notion that attitudes can be shaped by both environmental and ecological factors, we hypothesized that parasite stress can also…
Social Preferences Toward Humans and Machines: A Systematic Experiment on the Role of Machine Payoffs
There is growing interest in the field of cooperative artificial intelligence (AI), that is, settings in which humans and machines cooperate. By now, more than 160 studies from various disciplines have reported on how people cooperate with machines in behavioral experiments. Our systematic review of the experimental instructions reveals that the implementation of the machine payoffs and the information participants receive about them differ drast…
Does AI and human advice mitigate punishment for selfish behavior? An experiment on AI ethics from a psychological perspective
People increasingly rely on AI-advice when making decisions. At times, such advice can promote selfish behavior. When individuals abide by selfishness-promoting AI advice, how are they perceived and punished? To study this question, we build on theories from social psychology and combine machine-behavior and behavioral economic approaches. In a pre-registered, financially-incentivized experiment, evaluators could punish real decision-makers who (…
Designing algorithms against corruption: A conjoint study on communicative features to encourage intentions for collective action
The Social Psychology of Corruption
The special issue focuses on the social–psychological mechanisms behind corruption, emphasizing the role of social norms, power dynamics, cultural perspectives and gender in shaping corrupt behaviours. The special issue highlights the importance of understanding how shared expectations, cultural influences and organizational structures sustain or mitigate unethical conduct. By integrating interdisciplinary approaches, the collection presents new …
Understanding the minds of voice assistants—How do perceived technical understanding and mind attribution influence trust and satisfaction over time?
Voice assistants are widely used, but like other AI-based dialogue systems, their functioning is opaque to users. Little is known about how the (mis)understanding of the system’s human-like functioning influences users’ trust. This study scrutinizes how the (perceived) understanding of a voice assistant’s functioning and the attribution of a (human-like) mind influence trust in the system and the resulting satisfaction. The study employed a six-w…
Psychology (20 works) · Social Psychology (18 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment (7 works) · Artificial Intelligence (6 works) · Political science (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies (5 works) · Dishonesty (4 works)