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Science and technology.
科技。
Robots and psychology
機器人與心理學
Mapping the uncanny valley
了解恐怖谷理論
Why androids are scary
為什么人形機器人那么嚇人
ARTIFICIALLY created beings, whether they be drawn or sculpted, are warmly accepted by viewers when they are distinctively inhuman. As their appearances are made more real, however, acceptance turns to discomfort until the point where the similarity is almost perfect, when comfort returns. This effect, called "the uncanny valley" because of the dip in acceptance between clearly inhuman and clearly human forms, is well known, particularly to animators, but why it happens is a mystery. Some suggest it is all about outward appearance, but a study just published in Cognition by Kurt Gray at the University of North Carolina and Daniel Wegner at Harvard argues that there can be something else involved as well: the apparent presence of a mind where it ought not to be.
無論是畫出來的還是造出來的機器人，當它們與人類很不相像時，人類就能很好地接受它們。但是，隨著它們的外貌越來越近似真人，這種接受就會轉變為反感（ ——shadowing的譯法：人會對這種機器人的態度從好感變為厭惡）。直到它們與人類的相似度達到一個幾近完美的狀態，人類又會重新接受它們。因為在不夠擬人和非常擬人之間人們對機器人的接受度有一個下降的過程，所以這種效果被稱為"恐怖谷"①。（——lovewj1989的調整譯法：這個效應之所以被稱作"恐怖谷理論"，是因為從機器人與人類外表差異極大到差異極小，人類對機器人的接受度曲線先下后上，形成一個低谷。）（因為在不夠擬人（傳統機器人）和（真人機器人）非常擬人之間，人類好感度突然下降，所以這 種效果被稱為"恐怖谷"。）恐怖谷理論眾所周知，尤其是對動畫家來說，但它的出現原因卻是個謎。一些人認為這一理論只和外表有關，但最近北卡羅來納大學的Kurt Gray與哈佛大學的Daniel Wegner在《認知》上發表了一篇研究文章，稱這其中可能還包含著別的東西，即本不該出現在機器人身上的明顯的思維能力。
According to some philosophers the mind is made up of two parts, agency (the capacity to plan and do things) and experience (the capacity to feel and sense things). Both set people apart from robots, but Dr Gray and Dr Wegner speculated that experience in particular was playing a crucial role in generating the uncanny-valley effect. They theorised that adding human-like eyes and facial expressions to robots conveys emotion where viewers do not expect emotion to be present. The resulting clash of expectations, they thought, might be where the unease was coming from.
根據哲學家的說法，思維由兩部分構成：執行（計劃并完成事情的能力）和體驗（感受事物的能力）。這兩者都能將人與機器人區分開，但Gray博士和 Wegner博士推測，在產生恐怖谷效應方面，經驗起著尤其重要的作用。他們建立了一個理論，即如果使機器人擁有像人類一樣的眼睛和表情，它們就能傳遞感情，但在觀察者的預期中這種感情是不該出現在機器人身上的。他們認為這種預期所產生的沖突可能就是不適感的來源。
To test this idea, the researchers presented 45 participants recruited from subway stations and campus dining halls in Massachusetts with a questionnaire about the "Delta-Cray supercomputer". A third were told this machine was "like a normal computer but much more powerful". Another third heard it was capable of experience, by being told it could feel "hunger, fear and other emotions". The remainder were told it was capable of "self-control and the capacity to plan ahead", thus suggesting it had agency. Participants were asked to rate how unnerved they were by the supercomputer on a scale where one was "not at all" and five was "extremely".
為了驗證這個想法，研究者從馬薩諸塞州的地鐵站或大學食堂征集了45位參與者，就"Delta-Cray超級計算機"對他們做了一份問卷調查。參與調查問卷的人中有三分之一被告知這臺機器"和正常的電腦一樣，但強大許多"；另外三分之一的人被告知它有體驗的能力，即它能感受到"饑餓、恐懼以及其他一些情感"；剩下的三分之一則被告知它能"自我控制，并有能力提前制定計劃"，也就是說它具有執行力。研究者請他們從一分（一點都不）到五分（非常恐懼）對這臺超級電腦給他們帶來的恐懼感進行打分。 -（---斂刃的譯法：研究者請參與者按照自身受到的恐懼感對這臺超級電腦進行打分，從一分到五分不等，一分表示"一點都不緊張"，五分則表示"非常緊張"。）
Dr Gray and Dr Wegner found that those presented with the idea of a supercomputer that was much more powerful than other computers or was capable of planning ahead were not much unnerved. They gave it a score of 1.3 and 1.4 respectively. By contrast, those presented with the idea of a computer capable of experiencing emotions gave the machine an average of 3.4. These findings are consistent with the researchers' hypothesis. There seems to be something about finding emotion in a place where it is not expected that upsets people. This led Dr Gray and Dr Wegner to wonder if the reverse, discovering a lack of experience in a place where it was expected, might prove just as upsetting.
Gray博士和 Wegner博士發現，那些被告知這臺電腦只是一臺比其他電腦強大許多的超級計算機和它有提前制定計劃的能力的問卷參與者都沒有感到十分恐懼。他們給出的平均分分別是1.3和1.4分。相比之下，那些被告知這臺電腦有體驗情感能力的參與者打出的恐懼分數為3.4分。這一發現與研究者的假設相吻合。似乎是發現一個不該有情感的機器卻有了情感這類事使人類感到不安。這使Gray博士和 Wegner博士不禁想問，如果將情況反過來，人類發現一個該有情感的人卻沒有體驗情感的能力時會不會同樣會感到不安。
To explore this, they presented a further 44 volunteers, recruited in the same manner as those in the earlier experiment, with a picture of a man. A third were told that he was normal; a third that he was unable to plan; and a third that he was unable to feel pain, pleasure or fear. As in the first experiment, participants rated how unnerved they were by the man on a five-point scale.
為了弄清這一問題，兩位博士以同樣的方式再次征集了44位志愿者，并向他們展示了一張男人的照片。其中三分之一的人被告知這個男人是正常的，另外三分之一的人被告知他沒有制定計劃的能力，剩下的三分之一則被告知他沒有感受疼痛、愉悅或恐懼的能力。和第一次實驗一樣，博士們要求參與者按五分制給這個男人給他們帶來的恐懼感進行打分。
Those who were told the man was normal, or was incapable of planning, gave scores that averaged 1.8 and 1.9 respectively. Those told he could not feel pain, pleasure or fear were much more unnerved. They gave average scores of 3.0.
那些被告知這個男人是正常的和他沒有能力制定計劃的參與者給出的平均分分別是1.8分和1.9分。但那些被告知這個男人沒有能力感受疼痛、愉悅或恐懼的參與者要比前兩批人恐懼得多，他們給出的平均分為3.0分。
Dr Gray and Dr Wegner believe their findings argue that a big part of the uncanny-valley effect stems from expectations not being met. Robots are not expected to have feelings and when such feelings are found, it seems somehow wrong. Humans, by contrast, are expected to have feelings-and when such feelings are not found, the effect is equally frightening. Their conclusions will perhaps give pause to those who see the ultimate robot as something which physically resembles a human being.
Gray博士和 Wegner博士認為：他們的發現表明引起恐怖谷效應的大部分原因根源在于人們的預期沒有得到滿足。人們認為機器人不會有情感，當發現它們擁有情感時，人們就會覺得這是不正常的。相比之下，人類是有情感的，當人們發現某個人沒有情感時，他們同樣會感到恐懼不安。一些人認為機器人發展到最后，會在物質形態上與人類十分相似，但這次研究的結論可能會讓他們斷了這種念頭。
