A Comparative Study of Older and Younger Adults Using Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with an Active Listening Counseling Robot

Abstract

Using the Miracle Question method, this study comparatively evaluated how older adults and university students were affected by interacting with an active listening counseling robot for three weeks. The research focused on two aspects: (1) evaluating changes in perceptions of the robot and (2) how conversational content influenced these impressions. The results showed that older adults initially rated the robot higher for Anthropomorphism, with increased ratings for Perceived Intelligence and Anthropomorphism by Week 3. Both groups rated Perceived Safety the highest, linked to the prevalence of positive remarks during the counseling session conversations. These findings highlight the potential of positive dialogue strategies for counseling robots to engender trust and emotional safety across these age groups.