Kumar Yogeeswaran
Papers
6
Total Citations
1,327
H-Index
6
About
Kumar Yogeeswaran is a leading social psychologist whose research explores the psychological and societal implications of human-robot interaction, intergroup relations, and social identity. His most influential work investigates how people perceive and respond to robots, particularly when those robots challenge human uniqueness, identity, or safety. His highly cited 2014 paper, "Anthropomorphism: Opportunities and Challenges in Human–Robot Interaction" (582 citations), provides a foundational framework for understanding how and why we attribute human-like qualities to machines. Yogeeswaran’s research also reveals that autonomous robots can threaten our sense of identity and resources (391 citations), and that the degree of threat depends on both a robot’s physical appearance and perceived ability (177 citations). In a striking line of work, he has demonstrated that people show racial biases toward robots—for example, automatically associating darker-colored robots with threat in a "shooter bias" paradigm (108 citations), and that even robot rejection can lower human self-esteem (40 citations). His work is essential reading for anyone interested in the social psychology of technology, prejudice, and the future of human-robot coexistence.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Anthropomorphism: Opportunities and Challenges in Human–Robot Interaction582 citations · 2014
- 2
- 3
- 4Robots And Racism108 citations · 2018
- 5The bionic blues: Robot rejection lowers self-esteem40 citations · 2017
- 6Robots Can Be More Than Black And White29 citations · 2019