The impact of college students' social anxiety on human-machine trust: the mediating role of perceived intelligence and the moderating role of psychological anthropomorphism

Introduction: To explore the relationship between social anxiety among college students and human-machine trust, and to examine the mediating role of perceived intelligence and the moderating role of psychological anthropomorphism. Method: This study surveyed 596 Chinese college students using scales. A moderated mediation model was employed for analysis. Results: (1) Social anxiety is associated with human-machine trust, and both social anxiety and psychological anthropomorphism positively predicted perceived intelligence; (2) Perceived intelligence mediated the relationship between social anxiety and human-machine trust; (3) The moderating effect of psychological anthropomorphism on the perceived intelligence of human-machine trust is not significant; (4) Psychological anthropomorphism moderated the influence of social anxiety on perceived intelligence. Discussion: This study not only validates the applicability of CASA theory among college students with social anxiety in China but also provides insight into how these students develop their cognition of and trust in AI technology within a Chinese cultural context. It provides theoretical foundations and practical insights for developing human-computer interaction systems aligned with local sociopsychological characteristics.