Sio Pan Hoi
Papers
2
Total Citations
109
H-Index
2
About
Sio Pan Hoi is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of developmental psychology, social robotics, and autism studies. Her work fundamentally explores how children—particularly those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)—perceive, learn from, and interact with social robots. Hoi’s major contributions center on whether robots can teach complex social-cognitive skills, such as distrust and deception, to children with ASD. Her landmark 2019 study on this topic, cited 79 times, demonstrated that social robots may serve as effective, low-anxiety platforms for teaching nuanced social rules. In her equally influential 2019 work on “Theory of Robot Mind” (30 citations), Hoi probed false belief attribution, revealing how children with and without ASD attribute mental states to robots—a critical step for designing assistive technologies. By showing that children with ASD can engage in sophisticated social reasoning with robots, Hoi has opened new pathways for robot-mediated interventions. Her research not only advances human-robot interaction but also offers practical tools for educators and therapists, positioning her as a key voice in using robotics to support neurodiverse populations.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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