Instruments for Measuring Psychological Dimensions in Human-Robot Interaction: Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties.

BACKGROUND: Numerous user-related psychological dimensions can significantly influence the dynamics between humans and robots. For developers and researchers, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the psychometric properties of the available instruments used to assess these dimensions as they indicate the reliability and validity of the assessment. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide a systematic review of the instruments available for assessing the psychological aspects of the relationship between people and social and domestic robots, offering a summary of their psychometric properties and the quality of the evidence. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines across different databases: Scopus, PubMed, and IEEE Xplore. The search strategy encompassed studies meeting the following inclusion criteria: (1) the instrument could assess psychological dimensions related to social and domestic robots, including attitudes, beliefs, opinions, feelings, and perceptions; (2) the study focused on validating the instrument; (3) the study evaluated the psychometric properties of the instrument; (4) the study underwent peer review; and (5) the study was in English. Studies focusing on industrial robots, rescue robots, or robotic arms or those primarily concerned with technology validation or measuring anthropomorphism were excluded. Independent reviewers extracted instrument properties and the methodological quality of their evidence following the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments guidelines. RESULTS: From 3828 identified records, the search strategy yielded 34 (0.89%) articles that validated and examined the psychometric properties of 27 instruments designed to assess individuals' psychological dimensions in relation to social and domestic robots. These instruments encompass a broad spectrum of psychological dimensions. While most studies predominantly focused on structural validity (24/27, 89%) and internal consistency (26/27, 96%), consideration of other psychometric properties was frequently inconsistent or absent. No instrument evaluated measurement error and responsiveness despite their significance in the clinical context. Most of the instruments (17/27, 63%) were targeted at both adults and older adults (aged ≥18 years). There was a limited number of instruments specifically designed for children, older adults, and health care contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Given the strong interest in assessing psychological dimensions in the human-robot relationship, there is a need to develop new instruments using more rigorous methodologies and consider a broader range of psychometric properties. This is essential to ensure the creation of reliable and valid measures for assessing people's psychological dimensions regarding social and domestic robots. Among its limitations, this review included instruments applicable to both social and domestic robots while excluding those for other specific types of robots (eg, industrial robots).

The neurological effects of acute physical exhaustion on inhibitory function.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the inhibitory function performance of maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel in states of physical exhaustion. BACKGROUND: SAR missions pose serious challenges to the cognitive function of SAR personnel, especially in extreme environments and physical exhaustion. It is important to understand SAR personnel's cognitive performance and neural activity under exhaustion to improve the efficiency of task execution and ensure work safety. METHOD: Twenty-six maritime SAR personnel were recruited to simulate boat operations until they reached a self-imposed state of exhaustion. The exhaustion state was monitored by maximum heart rate and subjective fatigue scale. Two event-related potentials, N200 and P300, were measured during a Go-Nogo task before and after a session of acute exhaustive tasks. RESULTS: After exhaustion, a marked reduction in accuracy, a notable increase in N200 amplitude, and a substantial decline in P300 amplitude under the Nogo condition were observed compared to the baseline phase. Pre- and post-exhaustion comparisons using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography revealed reduced activations in the right middle temporal gyrus's N200 component after exhaustion in SAR personnel during the Nogo condition. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that acute physical exhaustion significantly impacts the inhibition ability of SAR personnel, prolonging the conflict monitoring phase and weakening the response inhibition phase. These findings provide valuable insights into how physical exhaustion affects cognitive functions critical to the safety and effectiveness of SAR operations, and can inform strategies to improve training and equipment to enhance performance under extreme conditions.