Matthew Craig

Kent State University, Western Michigan University

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Matthew Craig’s research lies at the fascinating intersection of human-robot interaction (HRI), social robotics, and the psychology of human-machine relationships. His work explores how people perceive, emotionally engage with, and even form attachments to robots and virtual characters. In his most-cited study, “Feeling for Our Robot Overlords” (2021, 15 citations), Craig investigates whether a robot’s emotional verbal expression can trigger “human-to-human scripting”—the tendency to treat a robot like a person—during initial interactions. This work has helped shape our understanding of how emotional cues in robots influence user perception and social dynamics. His 2020 study, “But They’re My Avatar” (4 citations), delves into character attachment in video games, revealing how players rationalize in-game decisions through deep emotional bonds with digital avatars. Additionally, his 2019 experiment on compliance-gaining strategies for robot rights (3 citations) examines how different persuasive appeals affect perceptions of a robot’s moral standing. Though early in his career, Craig’s work is already contributing to critical conversations about empathy, ethics, and social bonding in an increasingly automated world—making him a compelling voice for students and researchers exploring the emotional frontiers of HRI.