2023/06/30 by Thomas H. Weisswange, Weisswange, Thomas H., Hifza Javed +11
Physics and Astronomy · Psychology · #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC) #Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence #Robotics (cs.RO) #Social Robot Interaction and HRI #Team Dynamics and Performance
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2306.17379
openalex publication_date 2023/06/30 · openalex created_date 2023/07/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The use of social robots as instruments for social mediation has been gaining traction in the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). So far, the design of such robots and their behaviors is often driven by technological platforms and experimental setups in controlled laboratory environments. To address complex social relationships in the real world, it is crucial to consider the actual needs and consequences of the situations found therein. This includes understanding when a mediator is necessary, what specific role such a robot could play, and how it moderates human social dynamics. In this paper, we discuss six relevant roles for robotic mediators that we identified by investigating a collection of videos showing realistic group situations. We further discuss mediation behaviors and target measures to evaluate the success of such interventions. We hope that our findings can inspire future research on robot-assisted social mediation by highlighting a wider set of mediation applications than those found in prior studies. Specifically, we aim to inform the categorization and selection of interaction scenarios that reflect real situations, where a mediation robot can have a positive and meaningful impact on group dynamics.