Keepon interactionw/normallydevelopingchildren• 0–1-year-olds:Interactionwasdominatedbytactileexplorationusingthehandsand/ormouth.Thechildrendidnotpaymuchattentiontotheattentiveexpressionsoftherobot,buttheyexhibitedpositiveresponses(suchaslaughingorbobbingtheirbodies)toitsemotiveexpressions.• 1–2-year-olds:Thechildrendemonstratednotonlytactileexplorationbutalsoawarenessoftherobot’sattentivestate,sometimesfollowingitsattention.Somemimickeditsemotiveexpressionsbyrockingandbobbingtheirownbodies.• 2+-year-olds:Thesechildrenfirstcarefullyobservedtherobot’sbehaviorandhowcaregiversinteractedwithit.Soontheyinitiatedsocialexplorationbyshowingittoys,soothingit(bystrokingitshead),orverballyinteractingwithit(suchasaskingquestions).

Preschoolers

• Studywith27normallydeveloping3-4yearoldsovermultipleweeks

• Violentvs.protectivebehavior:InS3,aboyTM(hereafterTM/m)beatKeepon severaltimes,andagirlSR(hereafterSR/f)stoppedhim,“No!No!”InS9,whenNR/mhitKeepon’s headseveraltimes,HN/fstoppedhimbysaying,“Ithurts!Ithurts!”InS13,FS/mandTA/mstronglyhitKeepon’s headacoupleoftimes,asifdemonstratingtheirbravenesstoeachother.YT/fandIR/f,observingthis,approachedKeepon andcheckedifithadbeeninjured,thenYT/fsaidtoKeeponandIR/f,“Boysareallalike.TheyallhitKeepon,”strokingitsheadgently.

• Demonstrativebehavior:InS6,KT/fplayedwithKeepon intheoutdoorplayground;aboyinthe4-year-oldclassapproachedKeeponandsaidtoKT/f(referringtoKeepon),“Thisisacamera.Thisisamachine,”butKT/finsisted,“No,theseareKeepon’s eyes!”• InS8,pointingtoaninsectcage,SR/fguidedKeepon’s attentiontoit.DuringreadingtimeinS11,NK/fandTM/mapproachedandshowedtheirpicturebookstoKeepon.• InS17,YT/ftaughtKeepon somewords—showingitthecap,shesaid,“say,Bo-shi,”thenswitchedtoKeepon’s knittedcapandsaid,“ThisisaknitBo-shi,thatyouwearinwinter”(towhichKeepon couldonlyrespondbybobbing).• InS25,NK/fgaveatoysledtoKeepon.Keepon showedapreferencetoanothertoyNK/fwasholding.Aftersomenegotiation,NK/fbroughtoveranothersledandpersuadedKeepon,“Nowyouhavethesamethingasme.”

• Self-consciousbehavior:InS22,afterallthechildrenpracticedasongwiththeteachers,severalofthemrantoKeepon andaskedonebyone,“Wasitgood?”,towhichKeepon respondedbynoddingandbobbingtogivepraise.InS24,NZ/msangasongquietlyforawhile;whenhenoticedKeepon besidehim,hebecamesurprisedandashamed.

Longitudinalautismstudy

• 1.5yearstudy,>500childinteractionsessions• 2-4yearoldchildrenw/autism,Down’ssymdrome,Asperger’sandsimilarconditions• teleoperated Keepon robot

MostcommonchallengesassociatedwithAutism• Socialinteraction:Difficultyinunderstandingothers‘intentionandemotion,andinsharinginterestsandactivitieswithothers;difficultyinformingsocial,cooperativerelationships.• Communication:Difficultyinverbalandnon-verbalcommunication,especiallyofeverydaypragmaticuse;delayorlackoflanguagedevelopment;stereotypedandrepetitivespeech.• Imagination:Stereotypedandrestrictedpatternofinterestandbehavior;adherencetospecificthingsandaimlessroutines;difficultyincopingwithnovelsituations(e.g.,unknownplacesoractivities).

ParticipantM(15sessions,3months)

• MshowedstronginterestfromSession1(hereafterS1),butdidnotgetclosetoKeepon.ThroughS1toS7,MavoidedbeinglookedstraightatbyKeepon (i.e.,aversiontoeye-contact);howeverMoftenlookedintoKeepon's prfiole.

ParticipantM(15sessions,3months)

• InS5,afterobservinganotherchildRputapapercylinderonKeepon's head,Mdraggedthenurse'sarm,askinghertodothesamethingtoKeepon.Whenthenursecompletedthetask,MlookedsatisfiedandleftfromKeepon.ThroughS5toS10,thedistancetoKeepon graduallygotshorter(to40.50cm).

ParticipantM(15sessions,3months)

• InS11,MtouchedtheheadofKeepon withaxylophonestick,thenMdirectlytouchedwithherhandasifMhadexaminedthetextureandsmellofKeepon.

• Afterthisfirsttouch,Mstartedsocialinteractionsincludingeye-contactandvocalization(S12.),puttingacaponKeepon,askinghermothertodothesame(S13.),andhuggingandkissingKeepon(S14).

ParticipantN(39sessions,18months)

• InS1,NgazedatKeepon foralongtime.AfterobservinganotherchildWplayedwithKeepon usingatoy,NwasencouragedtoplaywithKeepon usingthesametoy,butNdidnotshowinterestindoingthat.

• ThroughS2toS14,NdidnotpayattentiontoKeepon,evenwhenshewasnexttoit.However,NoftenglancedatKeepon,whenshenoticeditssound,suchas“Pongpong pong”.

ParticipantN(39sessions,18months)

• InS15,afterobservinganotherchildRputacaponKeepon's head,NtouchedKeepon withherfinger.• InS16(after3-monthbreakfromS15),NcameclosetoKeepon andlookedintoitsmovement.Inthesnacktime,NcametoKeepon andpokeditsnose,towhichKeepon respondedbybobbing,andNshowedsurpriseandsmile.Themothersandnursesburstintolaughter.Duringthisplay,Noftenmadereferentiallookswithsmiletohermotherandthenurse.

ParticipantN(39sessions,18months)

• FromS17,NoftensatinfrontofKeepon withhermother;sometimesshetouchedKeepon toderivesomeresponse.FromS20,NstartedexploringKeepon's abilitybywalkingaroundittoseeifitcouldfollowher.

ParticipantN(39sessions,18months)

• InthesnacktimeofS33,NcametoKeepon andstartedimitationplay,whenNperformedonemovement(bobbing,rocking,orbowing),soonKeeponmimicked;thenNdidanother,andKeepon didthesame.ThroughS33toS39,Noftenplayedthis“imitationgame”withKeepon,duringwhichsheoftenmadereferentiallookstohermotherandthenurse.

Dottedlinerepresentsfirsttouch.

Conclusions(frompaper)

• evenautisticchildrenpossessthemotivationforsharingandexchangingmentalstateswithothers,andthatthechallengefortherapistsandparentsistoelicitthismotivation.

• Althoughitiswidelybelievedthatthismotivationisimpairedinautism,wehaveobservedinanumberofcasesthatautisticchildrenestablishedsocialrelationshipswiththesimplerobot,whichwascarefullydesignedtoexpressitsmentalstatescomprehensibly.

Conclusions(frompaper)

• Whilewehavepresentedthreecasesthatarerepresentativeofthesuccessfulelicitationofsocialbehaviorfromchildrenwithautism,itshouldbenotedthattheseresultsarenottobeconsidered“generalizable.”Rather,theyaremeanttoillustratethepotentialforanappropriatelydesignedrobottoevokerarebutpositiveresponses.

• Therobotthusservesasatoolduringthetherapeuticsessionsbyenablingtherapiststoconductanovelformofmediatedinteractionwiththechildrenaswellasafterthesessionsbyprovidingarecordedbodyofdatathatcanbeusedbyparents,therapists,andresearchersinstudyingautismandinevaluatingortailoringindividualchildren’stherapeutictreatments.

Althoughalotofworkwentintothisstudy,anditprovidesaninterestingperspective,noneofthesefindingsareacceptable

byclinicalstandards.

SingleSubjectStudyDesign

• usefulwhentheresearcherisattemptingtochangethebehaviorofanindividualorasmallgroupofindividuals• theparticipantservesasboththecontrolandtreatmentgroup• onlyonevariableischangedatatime• Singlesubjectresearchdesignsare“weak”whenitcomestoexternalvalidity

Example– EffectofPraise

• investigatetheeffectofpraiseonreducingdisruptivebehaviorovermanydays.• First,establishabaselineofhowfrequentlythedisruptionsoccurred(measurehowmanydisruptionsoccurredeachdayforseveraldays)

Example– EffectofPraise

• baselineofbehaviorhasbeenestablishedonceaconsistentpatternemergeswithatleastthreedatapoints• interventioncanbegin-- researchercontinuestoplotthefrequencyofbehaviorwhileimplementingtheinterventionofpraise.

GraphLabels

A-BDesign

A-B-ADesign

• involvesdiscontinuingtheinterventionandreturningtoanontreatment condition.

B-A-BDesign

• Usedwhenanindividual’sbehaviorissoseverethattheresearchercannotwaittoestablishabaselineandmustbeginwithanintervention.

MultipleBaselineDesign

• Usedtoaddressseveralissuesforonestudentorasingleissueforseveralstudents.• Interventionintroducedatdifferenttimestoshowmoreclearlythateffectscanmorelikelybecreditedtotheinterventionitselfasopposedtoothervariables

MeasuringtheEfficacyofRobotsinAutismTherapy:HowInformativeareStandardHRIMetrics?[Begumetal2015]

• Single-subjectdesignexperimentinaclinicalsettingwith3individualswithsevereautism• Oneofthevery fewroboticsstudieswhichshowstransferofaskilllearnedwithassistanceofarobottohuman-humaninteraction

Metrics

EfficacyMetrics:skillexecutionandpromptdependencyHRIMetrics:Gaze,Communication,Affect

Findings

• HRImetricspredict‘