Catherine Bortolon

Université de Montpellier, Dynamique des Capacités Humaines et des Conduites de Santé, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier

Papers

Total Citations

115

H-Index

About

Catherine Bortolon’s research lies at the intersection of clinical psychology, social cognition, and human-robot interaction, with a primary focus on schizophrenia. Her work pioneers the use of humanoid robots as tools to both assess and potentially improve social deficits in individuals with schizophrenia. In her highly cited 2017 study (42 citations), she introduced novel, low-cost biomarkers for schizophrenia by analyzing patients’ solo hand movements during a “mirror-game” coordination task, revealing distinct socio-motor patterns. She further explored how patients recognize emotional valence in facial expressions expressed by humanoid robots versus humans (37 citations), and demonstrated that a robot’s social feedback can influence cooperative behavior in schizophrenia patients (30 citations). Her research also delves into mind perception, investigating whether patients attribute mental states to robots (6 citations). By bridging robotics and psychiatry, Bortolon’s work offers promising new avenues for non-invasive diagnosis and social skills training, making her a leading voice in the emerging field of robot-assisted therapy for severe mental illness.