The Space Between Us: A Methodological Framework for Researching Bonding and Proxemics in Situated Group-Agent Interactions

2025/06/13 by Müller, Ana, Richert, Anja
#FOS: Computer and information sciences #Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC) #Methodology (stat.ME) #Robotics (cs.RO)

paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2506.11829

Abstract

This paper introduces a multimethod framework for studying spatial and social dynamics in real-world group-agent interactions with socially interactive agents. Drawing on proxemics and bonding theories, the method combines subjective self-reports and objective spatial tracking. Applied in two field studies in a museum (N = 187) with a robot and a virtual agent, the paper addresses the challenges in aligning human perception and behavior. We focus on presenting an open source, scalable, and field-tested toolkit for future studies.

Citations

• Connection-Coordination Rapport (CCR) Scale: A Dual-Factor Scale to Measure Human-Robot Rapport
• Come Closer: The Effects of Robot Personality on Human Proxemics Behaviours
• Core Challenges of Social Robot Navigation: A Survey

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