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More than Just Human: The Psychology of Social Robots

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Book cover Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics – Theory and Applications (VISIGRAPP 2017)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 983))

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Abstract

Social robots, specifically designed to interact with humans, already play an increasing role in many domains such as healthcare, transportation, or care of the elderly. However, research and design still lack a profound theoretical basis considering their role as social beings and the psychological rules that apply to the interaction between humans and robots. From a psychological perspective, social robots have ideal conditions to influence human judgments and behavior and to activate mechanisms of projection. On the one hand, researchers and practitioners in human-robot interaction (HRI) may see such effects as a welcome precondition for the general acceptance of social robots. On the other hand, such native trust provides a ground for dysfunctional effects like over-trust or manipulation. The present paper puts a focus on such questions concerning the “psychology of social robots”. Following an interdisciplinary approach we combine theory and methods from HCI and psychology, aiming to form a basis for successful and human-centered robot design. We point out central research questions and areas of relevance and a summary of first results of our own and others’ research. Finally, we present a preliminary model of robot personality and discuss areas for future research.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Simon Männlein, Sarah Muser, Julian Rehfeuter, Thomas Weber, and Valentin Zieglmeier for their effort of planning and conducting experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Informatics, LMU Munich, Frauenlobstraße 7a, 80337, Munich, Germany

    Daniel Ullrich

  2. Department of Psychology, LMU Munich, Leopoldstraße 13, 80802, Munich, Germany

    Sarah Diefenbach

Authors
  1. Daniel Ullrich
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  2. Sarah Diefenbach
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel Ullrich .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ana Paula Cláudio

  2. University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France

    Dominique Bechmann

  3. University of Angers, Angers, France

    Paul Richard

  4. Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan

    Takehiko Yamaguchi

  5. University of Münster, Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Lars Linsen

  6. University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Alexandru Telea

  7. Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA

    Francisco Imai

  8. Jean Monnet University, Saint-Etienne, France

    Alain Tremeau

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Ullrich, D., Diefenbach, S. (2019). More than Just Human: The Psychology of Social Robots. In: Cláudio, A., et al. Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics – Theory and Applications. VISIGRAPP 2017. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 983. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12209-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12209-6_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-12208-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-12209-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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