Yvonne de Kort

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Yvonne de Kort’s research bridges human-robot interaction, moral psychology, and gerontechnology, exploring how people perceive and respond to autonomous systems in emotionally charged contexts. Her most cited work, “People May Punish, Not Blame, Robots” (2021, 25 citations), challenges assumptions about moral accountability: through quantitative experiments, she demonstrates that individuals are willing to punish robots for causing harm—even when they do not attribute blame or emotional intent to the machine. This finding has profound implications for designing ethical AI and understanding human-robot relationships in high-stakes settings. In parallel, de Kort investigates the therapeutic potential of robotic animal companions for individuals living with dementia. Her 2020 qualitative study (3 citations) documents both immediate and long-term improvements in quality of life and feelings of wellbeing among residents in aged care facilities, highlighting how robotic pets can fill emotional voids left by lost human connections. By combining rigorous experimental methods with compassionate applied research, de Kort advances our understanding of moral cognition in human-robot interaction while developing practical tools to enhance dignity and comfort for vulnerable populations. Her work sits at the intersection of psychology, ethics, and technology design—a vital contribution as robots increasingly enter our homes and hearts.