Biosignal Adaptive systems and social robotics

Research Topic

The project focuses on the study of socio-technical systems and embodied artificial intelligence, bringing together perspectives from engineering, computer science, and the social sciences to investigate how intelligent systems (i.e. social assistive robots) interact with humans in real-world settings.

A research direction within this context investigates whether and under which conditions a social robotic assistant can function as a job resource within the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model [1,2]. Building on the Computers as Social Actors (CASA) framework [3], this line of work explores how socially assistive robots may influence occupational well-being by enhancing work engagement, buffering the relationship between job demands and strain (e.g., burnout), and reducing perceived daily job demands.

The approach is grounded in established theories in occupational psychology, including the JD-R model [2], the Job Demand–Control model [4], and the Effort–Reward Imbalance model [5] which collectively provide part of the theoretical basis for understanding how social resources, shape motivation, stress, and well-being in the workplace.

This doctoral project is embedded in the KD2School, an interdisciplinary graduate school funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)

References:

[1]Evangelia Demerouti, Arnold B Bakker, Friedhelm Nachreiner, and Wilmar B Schaufeli. The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied psychology, 86(3):499, 2001.

[2]Arnold B Bakker, Evangelia Demerouti, and Ana Sanz-Vergel. Job demands–resources theory: Ten years later. Annual review of organizational psychology and organizational behavior, 10(1):25–53, 2023.

[3]Andrew Gambino, Jesse Fox, and Rabindra A Ratan. Building a stronger casa: Extending the computers are social actors paradigm. Human- Machine Communication, 1:71–85, 2020

[4]Robert A Karasek Jr. Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Administrative science quarterly, pages 285–308, 1979.

[5]Johannes Siegrist. Adverse health effects of high-effort/low-reward conditions. Journal of occupational health psychology, 1(1):27, 1996