Sociology
Related papers: 20
About
Sociology, as it applies to robotics and AI, is the study of how intelligent systems, autonomous agents, and robotic technologies shape and are shaped by human social structures, relationships, and behaviors. Drawing on theories of anthropomorphism, social construction, and human-computer interaction, it examines how people perceive and emotionally respond to robots, how trust and acceptance develop in human-robot relationships, and how automated systems influence communities, organizations, and markets. In robotics and AI, sociological insights inform the design of social robots used in education, healthcare, and service industries, ensuring these systems align with human social norms and expectations. It also frames critical ethical and governance questions around AI deployment, addressing issues of equity, accountability, and cultural impact. Understanding sociology matters because technology does not exist in a vacuum—robots and AI systems operate within complex social worlds, and failing to account for human behavior, cultural values, and institutional dynamics can lead to systems that are ineffective, harmful, or rejected by the communities they are meant to serve.
Top Researchers
Top Cited Papers
On seeing human: A three-factor theory of anthropomorphism.
Nicholas Epley, Adam Waytz, John T. Cacioppo
Citations: 3643 • 2007
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF SEARCH BEHAVIOR AND NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTION.
Riitta Katila, Gautam Ahuja
Citations: 3377 • 2002
Emotional design: why we love (or hate) everyday things
Citations: 3104 • 2004
Making the Social World
John R. Searle
Citations: 1764 • 2010
Social robots for education: A review
Tony Belpaeme, James Kennedy, Aditi Ramachandran, Brian Scassellati, Fumihide Tanaka
Citations: 1445 • 2018
Collaborative learning : cognitive and computational approaches
Pierre Dillenbourg
Citations: 1324 • 1999
Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto
Jenny van Doorn, Martin Mende, Stephanie Noble, John Hulland, Amy L. Ostrom, Dhruv Grewal, J. Andrew Petersen
Citations: 1237 • 2016
A review of social science on digital agriculture, smart farming and agriculture 4.0: New contributions and a future research agenda
Laurens Klerkx, Emma Jakku, Pierre Labarthe
Citations: 1150 • 2019
The grand challenges of <i>Science Robotics</i>
Guang‐Zhong Yang, Jim Bellingham, Pierre E. Dupont, Peer Fischer, Luciano Floridi, Robert J. Full, Neil Jacobstein, Vijay Kumar, Marcia McNutt, Robert Merrifield, Bradley J. Nelson, Brian Scassellati, Mariarosaria Taddeo, Russell H. Taylor, Manuela Veloso, Zhong Lin Wang, Robert J. Wood
Citations: 1134 • 2018
Service Robots Rising: How Humanoid Robots Influence Service Experiences and Elicit Compensatory Consumer Responses
Martin Mende, Maura L. Scott, Jenny van Doorn, Dhruv Grewal, Ilana Shanks
Citations: 1098 • 2019
The Future of Retailing
Dhruv Grewal, Anne L. Roggeveen, Jens Nordfält
Citations: 1037 • 2017
Constructionism in Practice: Designing, Thinking, and Learning in A Digital World
Yasmin B. Kafai, Mitchel Resnick
Citations: 1000 • 1996
Grounded Cognition: Past, Present, and Future
Lawrence W. Barsalou
Citations: 973 • 2010
Transforming the Customer Experience through New Technologies
Wayne D. Hoyer, Mirja Kroschke, Bernd H. Schmitt, Karsten Kraume, Venkatesh Shankar
Citations: 957 • 2020
Upon Opening the Black Box and Finding It Empty: Social Constructivism and the Philosophy of Technology
Langdon Winner
Citations: 905 • 1993
Effects of COVID-19 on hotel marketing and management: a perspective article
Yangyang Jiang, Jun Wen
Citations: 836 • 2020
Customer experience challenges: bringing together digital, physical and social realms
Ruth N. Bolton, Janet R. McColl‐Kennedy, Lilliemay Cheung, Andrew S. Gallan, Chiara Orsingher, Lars Witell, Mohamed Zaki
Citations: 814 • 2018
What is intrinsic motivation? A typology of computational approaches
Pierre‐Yves Oudeyer
Citations: 805 • 2007
Robot ethics: the ethical and social implications of robotics
Citations: 795 • 2012
The Quest for Artificial Intelligence
Nils J. Nilsson
Citations: 772 • 2009