Keywords
Human-Robot Interaction, Acceptance, Usability, Social Presence, Medical Companion, Robot
Abstract
This dissertation investigated factors influencing older adults' perceptions of Misty, a voice-enabled social robot designed for caregiving interactions. Three sequential studies explored how voice characteristics (pitch and speech rate), robot persona (personable vs. robotic), and task guidance (Misty guiding through timed up and go and four stage balance task) influenced usability, social presence, acceptance, and perceptions of medical assistant competence. Study 1 employed thematic and quantitative usability analyses, identifying that lower-pitched, moderately paced voices optimized user satisfaction, while repetitive activation phrases ("Hey Misty") significantly reduced usability. Study 2 examined how persona framing (personable vs. robotic) influenced perceptions of social presence and trust, revealing that despite persona enhancements, usability limitations overshadowed social benefits, although the personable condition enhanced perceived affective understanding. Study 3 found mixed perceptions of Misty as a medical assistant for structured tasks, and emotional engagement and deeper trust remained limited. Regression analyses indicated comprehension was critical for perceived service quality, although trust and emotional engagement remained barriers to acceptance. Overall, findings emphasize that usability—particularly conversational fluidity—strongly impacts older adults’ acceptance and social perceptions of assistive robots. Future research should prioritize wake-free interaction models and sustained interactions to enhance emotional engagement, trust, and perceived medical credibility in socially assistive robots.
Completion Date
2025
Semester
Spring
Committee Chair
Smither, Janan
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Sciences
Department
Department of Psychology
Identifier
DP0029385
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Sasser, Jordan, "Older Adult Centered Robot Assessment: Usability, Social Presence, and Acceptance. Building Towards a Better Robot." (2025). Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024. 216.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2024/216