DataSheet_2_How the Realism of Robot Is Needed for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders in an Interview Setting.pdf

The preliminary efficacy of interview training using an android robot whose appearance and movements resemble those of an actual human for treating social and communication difficulties in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been demonstrated. Patient preferences regarding the appearance of robots are crucial for incentivizing them to undergo robot-assisted therapy. However, very little is known about how the realistic nature of an android robot is related to incentivizing individuals with ASD in an interview setting. In this study, individuals with ASD underwent an interview with a human interviewer and an android robot. Twenty-three individuals with ASD (age, 17–25 years) participated in this study. After the interview, the participants were evaluated in terms of their motivation to practice an interview with an android robot and their impression of the nature of the android robot in terms of humanness. As expected, subjects exhibited higher motivation to undergo interview training with an android robot than with a human interviewer. Higher motivation to undergo an interview with the android robot was negatively correlated with the participants’ impressions of the extent to which the android robot exhibited humanness. This study brings us one step closer to understanding how such an android robot should be designed and implemented to provide sufficiently realistic interview training that can be of therapeutic value.

本研究已证实，采用外观与动作均类人的仿人机器人（android robot）开展面试训练，用于改善自闭症谱系障碍（Autism Spectrum Disorders，ASD）患者的社交与沟通障碍，其初步疗效已得到验证。患者对机器人外观的偏好，是激励其接受机器人辅助治疗的关键因素。然而，目前对于仿人机器人的逼真程度与面试场景中激励自闭症谱系障碍患者参与的关联机制，仍知之甚少。本研究中，自闭症谱系障碍患者分别接受人类面试官与仿人机器人的面试。本次研究共纳入23名年龄在17至25岁之间的自闭症谱系障碍患者。面试结束后，研究人员对受试者的仿人机器人面试训练意愿，以及其对仿人机器人拟人化程度的主观印象进行了评估。正如预期，受试者接受仿人机器人面试训练的意愿，显著高于接受人类面试官面试的意愿。受试者参与仿人机器人面试的意愿越高，其对仿人机器人拟人化程度的主观印象则越低，二者呈负相关关系。本研究为明确如何设计与应用仿人机器人，以提供具备足够逼真度且具有治疗价值的面试训练方案，迈出了关键一步。