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About

Peter J. Marshall is a leading researcher at the intersection of developmental cognitive neuroscience and human-robot interaction. His work primarily explores how children perceive, interact with, and form relationships with social and assistive robots, with a strong emphasis on the ethical and emotional dimensions of these emerging technologies. Marshall’s most cited paper, “Ethical considerations in child-robot interactions” (2023, 27 citations), critically examines the promises and perils of deploying social robots in educational, clinical, and domestic settings, highlighting stakeholder concerns about children’s social and emotional development. His influential study “Alexa, how are you feeling today?” (2020, 14 citations) investigates the uncanny feelings adults experience with smart devices, linking eeriness to broader robotics research. Marshall has also advanced the field through experimental work on joint action and sensorimotor oscillations, using EEG to compare neural responses during interactions with human versus robotic partners. His recent work on developing an ontology for socially assistive robots (2024) aims to integrate speech, gesture, and emotional support to create safe, non-judgmental learning environments for young children. With a career focused on understanding how humans—especially children—cognitively and emotionally engage with robots, Marshall’s research is pivotal for designing ethical, effective, and developmentally appropriate robotic technologies.