The Psychological Implications of Companion Robots

A Theoretical Framework and an Experimental Setup

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21199744
AutoresNicoletta Massa (0000-0002-1858-7431, Sapienza University of Rome), Piercosma Bisconti (0000-0001-8052-0142, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, autor de correspondencia), Daniele Nardi (0000-0001-6606-200X, Sapienza University of Rome)
Año2023
Volumen15
Número12
Páginas2101-2114
Fecha de publicación2023-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Journal of Social Robotics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1875-4791 • E-ISSN: 1875-4805
EditorialSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12369-021-00846-x
PMID35106099
OpenAlexW4210532697
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas58

In this paper we present a theoretical framework to understand the underlying psychological mechanism involved in human-Companion Robot interactions. At first, we take the case of Sexual Robotics, where the psychological dynamics are more evident, to thereafter extend the discussion to Companion Robotics in general. First, we discuss the differences between a sex-toy and a Sexual Robots, concluding that the latter may establish a collusive and confirmative dynamics with the user. We claim that the collusiveness leads to two main consequences, such as the fixation on a specific and atypical type of sexual interaction, called paraphilic, and to the infantilization of the user, which we explain through the theoretical framework of “object-relation theory”. We argue that these dynamics may degrade to an infantile stage the relational abilities of users, extending this argument to Companion Robots in general. Then, we enquire if and how the relational dynamics enacted in HRI may shift to human relations: we discuss the analogy with virtual reality concluding that, under certain condition, a symbolic shift might happen. In the last part of this work, we propose an experimental setup to verify if a collusive and confirmative interaction with a Companion Robot can, over time, impact on the user’s ability to manage relational frustration

Analogy · Cognitive science · Epistemology · Human–computer interaction · Object relations theory · Psychodynamics · Relational theory · Robot · Robotics · Sociology · Computer Science · Digital Games and Media · Gothic Literature and Media Analysis · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Artificial Intelligence