Marieke S. Wieringa

University of Groningen, Radboud University Nijmegen

Papers

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About

Marieke S. Wieringa is a rising experimental psychologist whose research lies at the fascinating intersection of human-robot interaction, moral psychology, and social cognition. Her work explores how people perceive and behave toward robots, particularly in morally charged situations. In her highly cited 2024 paper, Wieringa investigates the "harm-made mind phenomenon"—the counterintuitive tendency for people to attribute greater mental capacity to robots when they witness them being intentionally harmed. Her research reveals a compelling paradox: robots are simultaneously anthropomorphized (seen as more human-like) and dehumanized when subjected to harm. Wieringa’s 2023 work introduces "The Peg-Turning Dilemma," an innovative experimental framework measuring altruistic behavior toward robots, exploring whether humans will sacrifice personal gain to benefit a machine. Her 2024 study on dual-process theory further refines understanding of the harm-made mind effect, addressing previous inconsistencies in the literature. With papers accumulating citations and tackling novel questions about moral boundaries between humans and machines, Wieringa is establishing herself as a thoughtful voice in the ethics of emerging technology, challenging assumptions about how we treat non-human agents.