A Communication Model of Human–Robot Trust Development for Inclusive Education

Abstract

Integrating robots into the educational environment offers tremendous opportunities to support and augment learning. However, building trust between human users and robots can be a challenge for inclusive education, as females, minorities, and the less privileged individuals tend to report higher levels of the anticipated fear and distrust toward robots. In this chapter, we examine how communication affects human–robot trust in light of the verbal messages that humans and robots exchange. The chapter overviews the four guiding foci of human–robot trust: (1) human–robot trust is a communication-driven process; (2) human–robot trust develops over time; (3) trust optimization requires calibration to the particular situation and circumstance; and (4) trust is based on multidimensional perceptions of trustee’s trustworthiness. The chapter outlines systematic research to examine how trust is developed, calibrated, and affected by communication messages across different temporal stages in the inclusive learning environment: pre-interaction stage, entry stage, and relationship stage.