A neurocognitive investigation of the impact of socializing with a robot on empathy for pain.

ABSTRACT: To what extent can humans form social relationships with robots? In the present study, we combined functional neuroimaging with a robot socializing intervention to probe the flexibility of empathy, a core component of social relationships, towards robots. Twenty-six individuals underwent identical fMRI sessions before and after being issued a social robot to take home and interact with over the course of a week. While undergoing fMRI, participants observed videos of a human actor or a robot experiencing pain or pleasure in response to electrical stimulation. Repetition suppression of activity in the pain network, a collection of brain regions associated with empathy and emotional responding, was measured to test whether socializing with a social robot leads to greater overlap in neural mec

SUBMITTER: Cross ES 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6452253 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature