Paola Bonifacci
Papers
3
Total Citations
110
H-Index
3
About
Paola Bonifacci is a leading researcher at the intersection of developmental psychology, human-robot interaction, and special education. Her work primarily investigates how emotional and cognitive processes unfold during interactions between humans—especially children—and social robots. Bonifacci’s major contributions include demonstrating that robots can effectively complement traditional interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as shown in her pilot study (36 citations). She has also pioneered research on how mind perception in robots influences children’s social behaviors, such as gaze aversion during child-robot interaction (16 citations). Her most cited work, “Emotional processes in human-robot interaction during brief cognitive testing” (58 citations), reveals how robots can elicit genuine emotional responses, opening new avenues for using social robots in educational and clinical assessments. Bonifacci’s studies are notable for their rigorous experimental designs and practical implications, bridging cognitive science and robotics to improve therapeutic and learning outcomes for vulnerable populations. Her research continues to shape how we understand and design emotionally intelligent machines for developmental support.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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