Review

Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare

Volume: 12 Number: 67 December 31, 2022
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Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare

Abstract

The advances in artificial intelligence and robotics began to transform business and human relations. The employment of robots in health, education, entertainment and rehabilitation as well as industries introduced the concept of "social robots". Although there is no consensus on the definition of the concept, robots with some degree of autonomy and could conduct meaningful social interactions with humans are considered social robots. Studies have been conducted on the employment of social robots in mental health services. Studies have been conducted on the employment of social robots in mental health services. The effectiveness of social robots in the treatment of anxiety, stress, depression, anger, and eating disorders, especially dementia and autism spectrum disorder, has also been investigated. The question of “can robots empathize” is a significant topic in research that focus on human-robot interactions. Robotic empathy studies were conducted with two dimensions of human empathy for robots and robot empathy for humans and led to various philosophical and ethical discussions. Some argued that robot-human interaction leads to new opportunities in mental health services, while others criticized the use of robots since it could increase human solitude, blur the line between reality and virtuality perceptions and the distinction between ontological categories. The present literature review aimed to discuss the concepts of artificial intelligence, robots, and social robots, provide information about the studies on the employment of social robots in mental healthcare, and address the studies and views based on the question "can social robots empathize?"

Keywords

References

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  6. Bagheri, E., Roesler, O., Cao, HL. & Vanderborght, B. (2021). A Reinforcement Learning Based Cognitive Empathy Framework for Social Robots. International Journal of Social Robotics, 13, 1079-1093. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-020-00683-4.
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  8. Baraka K., Alves-Oliveira P. & Ribeiro T. (2020). An extended framework for characterizing social robots. In Jost C. et al. (eds) Human-Robot Interaction (pp.21-64). Springer Series on Bio- and Neurosystems, 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42307-0_2

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Psychology

Journal Section

Review

Publication Date

December 31, 2022

Submission Date

October 27, 2021

Acceptance Date

August 7, 2022

Published in Issue

Year 2022 Volume: 12 Number: 67

APA
Gültekin, M. (2022). Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 12(67), 593-618. https://doi.org/10.17066/tpdrd.12250405
AMA
1.Gültekin M. Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal. 2022;12(67):593-618. doi:10.17066/tpdrd.12250405
Chicago
Gültekin, Mücahit. 2022. “Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare”. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal 12 (67): 593-618. https://doi.org/10.17066/tpdrd.12250405.
EndNote
Gültekin M (December 1, 2022) Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal 12 67 593–618.
IEEE
[1]M. Gültekin, “Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare”, Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, vol. 12, no. 67, pp. 593–618, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.17066/tpdrd.12250405.
ISNAD
Gültekin, Mücahit. “Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare”. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal 12/67 (December 1, 2022): 593-618. https://doi.org/10.17066/tpdrd.12250405.
JAMA
1.Gültekin M. Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal. 2022;12:593–618.
MLA
Gültekin, Mücahit. “Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare”. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, vol. 12, no. 67, Dec. 2022, pp. 593-18, doi:10.17066/tpdrd.12250405.
Vancouver
1.Mücahit Gültekin. Could Robots Empatize? A Review on The Employment of Social Robots in Mental Healthcare. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal. 2022 Dec. 1;12(67):593-618. doi:10.17066/tpdrd.12250405

Cited By

From 30 November 2023, English language proofreading will be required for accepted articles to ensure language quality.