Goh Matsuda

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About

Goh Matsuda is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of developmental psychology and human-robot interaction, with a primary focus on how humans—particularly infants—perceive and respond to artificial agents. His work explores the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the perception of human likeness in robots, addressing fundamental questions about social cognition and the uncanny valley phenomenon. Matsuda's most-cited study (2015, 15 citations) demonstrated that infants as young as 12 months can discriminate between humanoid robots and humans, revealing early-developing sensitivities to animacy and social agency. This foundational work has implications for understanding both typical social development and the design of socially engaging robots. In a complementary neuroimaging study (2015, 8 citations), Matsuda used EEG-based mu rhythm suppression to measure how a robot's appearance and motion influence perceived human likeness, showing that biological motion—even in mechanical bodies—triggers greater sensorimotor resonance. His contributions bridge developmental science and robotics, offering insights into how the human brain processes artificial social partners. Matsuda's research is particularly notable for its innovative use of androids as controlled experimental stimuli, advancing both psychological theory and human-centered robotics design.