Ricarda Wullenkord
Papers
15
Total Citations
240
H-Index
8
About
Ricarda Wullenkord is a social psychologist whose research sits at the intersection of human-robot interaction (HRI), attitude formation, and social psychology. Her work addresses one of the central challenges in robotics adoption: how people think, feel, and behave toward robots in everyday and professional contexts. Drawing creatively on established social-psychological frameworks — particularly imagined contact theory — Wullenkord has pioneered approaches to reducing robot-related anxiety and negative attitudes, demonstrating in multiple studies that even mentally simulating interactions with robots can meaningfully improve people's willingness to engage with them. Her highly cited 2020 review of societal and ethical issues in HRI (58 citations) has become an important reference for researchers navigating the complex moral landscape of robot deployment, while her work on physical touch, self-disclosure, and trust highlights how deeply interpersonal dynamics shape human-robot relationships. More recently, she has explored customization and psychological ownership as levers for building user trust, and has examined robot-to-user adaptation and diversity training in hybrid human-robot teams. Across more than 220 cumulative citations, Wullenkord's scholarship offers both theoretical insight and practical guidance for designing robots that humans can genuinely accept and collaborate with.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Societal and Ethical Issues in HRI58 citations · 2020
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- 3The role of self-disclosure in human-robot interaction31 citations · 2017
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- 5Improving attitudes towards social robots using imagined contact17 citations · 2014
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- 7The Influence of Robot Number on Robot Group Perception—A Call for Action14 citations · 2020
- 8Who's in Charge?8 citations · 2023
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