Age-Related Differences in the Perception of Robotic Referential Gaze in Human-Robot Interaction

Area of Science:

• Human-Robot Interaction
• Social Cognition
• Gerontology

Background:

• Social robots are increasingly used to aid older adults in daily activities.
• Social cognition, including gaze following, is crucial for effective human-robot interaction.
• Age-related decline in gaze following may impact older adults' interpretation of robot social cues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age-related differences in task performance and social perception when assisted by a social robot's referential gaze.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of robot gaze as a social cue for older adults.
• To compare the performance of older adults, middle-aged adults, and younger controls.

Main Methods:

• A Pepper robot was used to provide referential gaze cues during a task.
• Participants included older adults, middle-aged adults, and younger controls.
• Task performance and self-reported social perception of the robot were measured.

Main Results:

• Robot referential gaze improved task performance across all age groups, but the facilitation effect was smaller for older adults.
• Older adults showed less variation in their perception of the robot's anthropomorphism when it used referential gaze.
• Age differences were observed in how effectively participants utilized the robot's gaze cue.

Conclusions:

• Social robots can be perceived as social entities by older adults, even with limitations in gaze cues.
• Robotic social cues validated with younger populations may not be optimal for older adults.
• Future social robot design should consider age-specific cognitive abilities and interaction preferences.