Can Social Robots Improve People’s Attitudes toward Individuals Who Stutter
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22190832 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jürgen Körner (0009-0000-7398-3165, University of Waterloo), Shruti Chandra (0000-0003-2042-8875, University of Waterloo), Kerstin Dautenhahn (0000-0002-9263-3897, University of Waterloo) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1-34 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-31 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2573-9522 • E-ISSN: 2573-9522 |
| Publisher | Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1145/3722122 |
| OpenAlex | W4409160653 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 69 |
Public attitudes toward stuttering are rooted in stereotypes and misconceptions, leading to negative reactions and discrimination against individuals who stutter. Previous research highlights the positive impact of educational interventions on people’s attitudes toward stuttering. The potential of social robots as an educational tool in the context of stuttering awareness remains unexplored. In the present study, we investigate whether a social robot can improve public attitudes when giving an interactive presentation on the topic. We compare its impact with a tablet-only condition. Additionally, we differentiate between two robot conditions—one in which the robot imitates stuttering and another where the robot has fluent speech. In the robot conditions, visuals are shown on a tablet. We used a co-design approach and incorporated the perspectives and experiences of two individuals with lived experiences of stuttering into our study design. A user study with 69 participants reveals significant improvements in attitudes across all three conditions, with no significant difference between conditions. However, participants perceived the robot as significantly “warmer,” more “attractive,” and “novel” when compared to the tablet. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential of social robots as intervention techniques for improving attitudes in the field of stuttering
Robot · Computer Science · Employee Welfare and Language Studies · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism · Psychology · Social Psychology · Stuttering Research and Treatment · Artificial Intelligence
Social robots for education
The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire
Construction and Evaluation of a User Experience Questionnaire
Co-Design as a Process of Joint Inquiry and Imagination
Assistive social robots in elderly care
Social Robots for Language Learning
The Use of Robots in the Workplace
Therapeutic potential of robots for people who stutter
Using Socially Assistive Robots in Speech-Language Therapy for Children with Language Impairments
Utilizing an Emotional Robot Capable of Lip-Syncing in Robot-Assisted Speech Therapy Sessions for Children with Language Disorders
Are physically embodied social agents better than disembodied social agents
The benefit of being physically present
Social Robots and Seniors
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Influence of self-reported distress and empathy on egoistic versus altruistic motivation to help
Empathy and attitudes
The role of transportation in the persuasiveness of public narratives
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |