Davide Massaro
Papers
29
Total Citations
668
H-Index
12
About
Davide Massaro is a developmental and social psychologist whose research sits at the compelling intersection of human-robot interaction, social cognition, and Theory of Mind across the lifespan. His work has made significant contributions to understanding how children and adults perceive, trust, and mentally attribute states to humanoid robots, with particular focus on how physical appearance and behavior shape these relationships. Among his most influential contributions, Massaro has systematically explored how children develop trust in robotic agents, demonstrating that preschool and school-age children engage in nuanced trust acquisition and repair processes with robots — findings that carry profound implications for educational and clinical robotics. His widely cited studies (accumulating over 400 citations) reveal that children do not treat all robots equally, actively differentiating between humanoid designs when attributing mental states and moral understanding. Massaro has also ventured into fascinating questions about moral cognition, investigating whether children recognize robotic deception, and has examined infant social cognition through eye-tracking methodology. Notably, his research extends beyond robotics into children's attribution of mental states to God, reflecting a broader interest in how human social cognition applies to non-human agents. His body of work is essential reading for researchers in developmental psychology, social robotics, and cognitive science.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Shall I Trust You? From Child–Robot Interaction to Trusting Relationships111 citations · 2020
- 3Theory of Mind and Humanoid Robots From a Lifespan Perspective86 citations · 2018
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- 5Robotics in Clinical and Developmental Psychology36 citations · 2020
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- 9Machines Like Us and People Like You: Toward Human–Robot Shared Experience20 citations · 2021
- 10