Robin Foppen

Papers

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About

Robin Foppen is a rising scholar in human-robot interaction, whose work critically examines the social biases embedded in our perceptions of robots. Her primary research areas lie at the intersection of social psychology and robotics, focusing on the content, structure, and predictors of robot stereotypes. Foppen’s most influential work, “Models of (Often) Ambivalent Robot Stereotypes” (2023, 18 citations), demonstrates that people apply the Stereotype Content Model to robots, judging them on dimensions of warmth (communion) and competence (agency). In a large-scale online study with 120 participants rating 80 different robots, she revealed that these stereotypes are often ambivalent, mixing positive and negative traits. Her follow-up study, “Ambivalent Stereotypes Towards Gendered Robots” (2022, 5 citations), further explores how gender biases—particularly towards female and neutral robots—are deeply ingrained and resistant to change. By showing that our biases against machines mirror our biases against human groups, Foppen’s work has significant implications for the ethical design of social robots, urging engineers to consider how robot appearances and roles can perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Her research is a vital contribution to creating more equitable and inclusive human-robot interactions.