Joshua Pepe Woller
Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology
Papers
1
Total Citations
32
H-Index
1
About
Joshua Pepe Woller is a rising scholar at the intersection of social cognition and human-robot interaction (HRI). His research focuses on how automatic, implicit cognitive processes—rather than just conscious beliefs—shape our perceptions of social robots. In his highly cited 2022 paper, "Mind the Machines: Applying Implicit Measures of Mind Perception to Social Robotics" (32 citations), Woller challenges the field’s near-total reliance on explicit measures, arguing that these overlook the subtle, non-conscious mechanisms that drive human responses to machines. This work has opened a new methodological frontier in HRI, urging researchers to adopt tools like implicit association tests to capture the full spectrum of mind perception. By bridging social psychology and robotics, Woller’s contributions are helping to refine how we design and evaluate robots intended for social roles, from healthcare to education. His research not only advances theoretical understanding but also offers practical insights for creating more intuitive and accepted robotic companions. For students and researchers, Woller’s work is a compelling call to look beyond what people say about robots—and instead, to mind the machines by minding the mind.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
- 1