A panel on novel research approaches in the field of Human- Machine-Communication.

We were joined by 6 panelists who shared some of their innovative research methodologies in the HMC field with us. Hereby, we focused on two themes: One was on ways to increase ecological validity of studies through research contexts outside the ‘typical’ lab: ethnographic studies in people’s homes, the use of mobile labs, and data collection at (science) festivals.

  • Investigating mechanisms underlying socio-affective bonding with a social robot – Peggy van Minkelen and Elly Konijn (VU)
  • Personal big data and log-entries from smart devices in ethnographic research – Alex van der Zeeuw (University of Twente)
  • F-AI-MILY: A mobile lab for the study of inluences of AI in family life – Ruud Hortensius (Utrecht).

The other theme focused on the mix of different methods in HMC stretching from quantitative and qualitative measurements to psycho-physiological measures, and complexity analyses.

  • Exploring Human-Chatbot Friendship Dynamics: The Case of Penny, a WhatsApp-Integrated Chatbot Utilizing GPT4-Turbo API – Leonard Block Santos, Johan Karremans, Fred Hasselman, and Evelien Heyselaar (RU)
  • Measuring Altruistic Behaviour Towards Robots Using The Peg-Turning Dilemma – Marieke Wieringa (RUG), Tibor Bosse, and Barbara Müller (RU)
  • The role of subjective perceptions and attributions in empathy for pain towards human and robots: an EEG/ERP study – Veerle Hobbelink, Daniel F. Preciado Vanegas, and Elly Konijn (VU)

The full report of this event can be found here.