Social Robots as Providers of Social Support?

Social robots can be providers of social support in human-robot interaction (HRI). In general, social support can have various positive effects on human well-being. However, these effects often vary with context and involved person and field of application. Based on a three-level problematizing literature our study identifies four distinct categories of possibly limiting factors on generalizability of social support effects in HRI research, namely morphology, samples and research design, availability of and novelty in long-term studies and cultural specifics. Options for action and implications for future studies are derived.