The Influence of Perceived Empathy and Negative Attitudes on Trust in Home Robotic Agents Among Older Adults

Trust is central to older adults’ use of socially assistive robots, yet perceived empathy includes affective and cognitive dimensions. This study examined associations of perceived affective and cognitive empathy with trust in a virtual home healthcare agent and tested moderation by negative attitudes toward robots. 224 U.S. adults 65+ viewed 24 randomized videos featuring empathic or control dialogue and reported perceived empathy and trust across blocks. Linear mixed-effects models showed both perceived affective and cognitive empathy were positively associated with trust, with a stronger cognitive-empathy association. Negative attitudes moderated both associations: as attitudes increased, the perceived affective empathy association weakened, whereas the perceived cognitive empathy association strengthened. These findings suggest that perceived understanding may be particularly relevant to trust among older adults with negative attitudes toward robots.