Personality-Based Adaptation of Robot Behaviour: Acceptability Results on Individuals with Cognitive Impairments

International Journal of Social Robotics https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-023-01074-1 Personality-Based Adaptation of Robot Behaviour: Acceptability Results on Individuals with Cognitive Impairments Silvia Rossi1 · Claudia Di Napoli2 · Federica Garramone3 · Elena Salvatore4 · Gabriella Santangelo3 Accepted: 20 October 2023 © The Author(s) 2023 Abstract We performed a study to evaluate if the acceptance of a social humanoid robot used for monitoring the activities of elderly users with cognitive deficits increased after interacting with the robot. In addition, we evaluated if the robot’s acceptance is improved when the interaction with the robot occurred in different modalities modulated according to each user’s cognitive and personality profile. A group of 7 participants underwent assessment tools for cognitive and personality traits and for the level of acceptability of the robot. They interacted with the robot at their private home for a minimum of two weeks. The interaction with the robot occurred under two different modalities: standard modality where the robot performed tasks by approaching the subject at a fixed pre-defined frequency of interactions, and at fixed pre-defined times; modulated modality where the robot performed tasks by approaching the subject at different frequencies set according to some personality traits and cognitive profile of the user. The results showed no change in the acceptability level of the robot after direct interaction. Still, personality traits such as Neuroticism and Openness influenced the acceptability of the robot in the elderly only before an interaction. At the same time, these personality traits did not seem to influence the acceptability of the new technology after a direct interaction. Different is the case of cognitive profiles and demographic characteristics. Finally, the score on the pleasantness scale was higher when the interaction with the robot was set in modulated modality rather than standard modality. In conclusion, the identification of the personality traits and the cognitive status in the elderly with cognitive deficits seems to be useful to modulate the type and frequency of interaction of the robot with the user to increase the acceptability of the instrument and pleasures in every daily life. Keywords Social assistive robotics · Personalised interaction · Mild cognitive impairments · Acceptability 1 Introduction B Silvia Rossi B Claudia Di Napoli Federica Garramone Elena Salvatore Gabriella Santangelo 1 2 Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy Istituto di Calcolo e Reti ad Alte Prestazioni, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a disease between normal cognitive ageing and dementia [35]; people with MCI are capable of conducting self-care activities but they exhibit a slight impairment in the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), whereas people with dementia show moderate to severe cognitive deficits and behavioural disturbances (i.e., depression and apathy) need assistance for the basic ADL and IADL [6]. A distinctive personality profile characterises people with cognitive deficits with high Neuroticism and low Openness and Extraversion [17] which have been considered risk factors for the increase in severity of cog3 Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy 4 Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche avanzate, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy 123 International Journal of Social Robotics nitive deficits. Similar to patients with dementia, those with MCI can suffer from behavioural disorders such as apathy and depression. They need to be constantly stimulated to improve their condition and consequently their quality of life but with an increased burden for their caregivers. For these users, care robots are believed to be helpful by assisting them and their caregivers in daily tasks, monitoring their behaviour and health and providing companionship [14]. Some studies evidenced that animal-shaped robots or animaloids can be used with people with dementia as emotional activators and cognitive stimulators, and they are usually accepted by the elderly [25–27, 34, 41, 43, 47]. However, a new generation of social humanoid robots that can move and act within human beings’ living space and interact with them, represents an unmissable opportunity to provide home care to the elderly with cognitive impairment. Socially Assistive Robotics (SAR) [18, 30] describes a class of robots with social interaction and communication capabilities that assist users through social and nonphysical interaction. These robots are adopted in the health application domain. They generate social responses from users, communicate verbally and/or non-verbally, exhibit human and social characteristics, and have a humanoid appearance to facilitate interaction. More importantly, they can move and act within human beings’ living spaces and hence monitor and assist them in daily cognitive and physical activities at home. With the growing number of older people living alone in need of care, using these robots to support them is a tremendous societal challenge. The use of SARs in health care settings suggests that robotics can be an important and cost-effective technology for the health care system. In this direction, studies report that robots enhance the mood and social relationships of patients with dementia, their perceived quality of life and cognitive ability [5]. Other studies report that robots able to perform assistive tasks [28] for providing life assistance have the potential to improve the daily life of patients with a mild level of dementia. Acceptability of this new technology is crucial to address to increase its pervasive use. 1.1 Acceptability Evaluation The adoption of robots in real home environments is still far to be reached since it presents several challenges to be addressed, mainly related to their acceptance in the everyday life of patients. In general, studying the acceptability of a technological device is complex and several aspects need to be analysed in different temporal phases. A proper evaluation of acceptance requires the evaluation of the “a priori” acceptability, acceptance after the use, and finally appropriation which is rarely found in the literature [8]. 123 When evaluating the acceptability of a social humanoid robot used to assist a fragile class of users such as the elderly with MCI, it is not easy to perform all the phases contributing to understanding its acceptability. This is mainly due to users’ changing cognitive and physical conditions and to the difficulty of providing assistive robots in a real setting for a long time. So, researchers use the term “acceptance” to refer to pre- and post-interaction perceptions and judgements [8]. An analysis of ju (...truncated)