Susan B. Trickett

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About

Susan B. Trickett is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction, with a particular focus on how people engage with social robots in public, real-world settings. Her work critically examines the "Computers Are Social Actors" (CASA) framework, testing whether and how much social behavior a robot must exhibit to elicit meaningful human engagement. In her landmark 2014 study, "Social engagement in public places," Trickett led a large-scale observational field study involving over 4,000 participants at a public venue, providing rare empirical evidence on the dynamics of human-robot social interaction outside the lab. This highly cited paper (52 citations) has become a foundational reference for researchers designing autonomous social robots for public spaces. Trickett’s contributions are notable for bridging theory and practice, offering actionable insights for robot designers and advancing our understanding of social presence and anthropomorphism. Her work continues to influence studies on trust, cooperation, and the subtle cues that make machines feel like social partners.