David Scholz

University of Koblenz and Landau, Universität Ulm

Papers

Total Citations

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About

David Scholz is a leading researcher in human-robot interaction and automated vehicle trust, whose work bridges engineering, psychology, and human factors. His key research areas include trust in automation, social agents in autonomous systems, and user acceptance of service robots. Scholz’s major contribution is the development of the Integrated Trustworthiness Beliefs Model for Robot Acceptance, which moves beyond traditional usability metrics to incorporate distinctive beliefs and trust as core predictors of user decisions. His highly cited 2016 study, “Human After All” (41 citations), demonstrated that the human-likeness of spoken-dialogue systems in automated cars significantly facilitates trust generation during overtaking maneuvers. In his influential 2023 paper (40 citations), Scholz showed through a large online study (N=400) that general trust in service robots directly predicts trust in specific robotic systems, providing a critical framework for designing trustworthy autonomous agents. His work has profound implications for the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles and service robots, shaping how engineers and designers build systems that earn user confidence. Scholz’s research continues to inform both academic theory and practical design guidelines for human-automation interaction.