Malcolm McCurry
Papers
1
Total Citations
10
H-Index
1
About
Malcolm McCurry’s research sits at the fascinating intersection of social robotics, cognitive science, and human-robot interaction, exploring how people perceive and interpret the actions of autonomous machines. His most cited work, “Beyond Programming: Can Robots' Norm-Violating Actions Elicit Mental State Attributions?” (2019, 10 citations), investigates a compelling psychological phenomenon: whether humans attribute mental states—like intentions or beliefs—to robots that break social norms, much as they do with other people. By designing stimulus videos of a DRC-HUBO robot engaging in norm-violating versus norm-conforming behaviors, McCurry demonstrated that norm violations can make robots seem more “mindful” and less like mere programmed tools. This contribution challenges assumptions about machine agency and has implications for designing more intuitive, socially-aware robots. Though his citation count is modest, his work is notable for bridging experimental social psychology and robotics, offering a novel framework for understanding how subtle behavioral cues shape human trust and collaboration with AI. His findings are particularly relevant for researchers in human-robot interaction and cognitive science, opening new questions about the boundaries of social perception in an increasingly automated world.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1