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What Robots Do Matters More Than What They Look Like: Task Context Shapes Trust in Educational HRI

● high · 2026-08-13social-robots, human-robot-interaction, trust, educational-robotics, higher-ed, social-cognitive

Synthesis: This Discobot project study (2026) examines how robot appearance and task type jointly influence trust in socially assistive robots (SARs) in educational and information-sharing contexts. Using a within-subjects video-based experiment (N = 81), participants evaluated three robots with distinct appearances while performing three educationally relevant tasks: teaching, procedural instruction, and personal-information discussion. Repeated-measures analyses showed a strong main effect of task on trust, with participants reporting the highest trust during instructional tasks — indicating that what a robot does matters more than what it looks like.

Key Findings

  • Socially assistive robots (SARs) are increasingly deployed in educational and information-sharing contexts, supported by LLM advances enabling fluent real-time interaction.
  • Despite the growing diversity of robot embodiments, it remained unclear whether a single robot appearance is appropriate across different interaction tasks or whether trust depends primarily on contextual factors.
  • A within-subjects video-based experiment (N = 81) had participants evaluate three robots with distinct appearances across three tasks: teaching, procedural instruction, and personal-information discussion.
  • Repeated-measures analyses showed a strong main effect of task on trust, with the highest trust during instructional tasks — task context shapes trust in educational HRI more than appearance.

    • Study Design & Method

    This is a within-subjects experimental study. The researchers conducted a video-based experiment with 81 participants who evaluated three socially assistive robots with distinct appearances while the robots performed three educationally relevant tasks (teaching, procedural instruction, and personal-information discussion). Repeated-measures analyses examined the effects of robot appearance and task type on participants' trust in the robots, testing whether trust is determined primarily by appearance or by contextual task factors.

    Implications for AI in Education

    The study provides evidence that task context shapes trust in educational robots more than appearance, a key finding for Social Robots and Human Robot Interaction design. For educators and designers, it suggests that trust in educational robots depends on what the robot is asked to do (e.g., instruction elicits higher trust) rather than on a single optimal embodiment. This informs the deployment of socially assistive robots across teaching, procedural instruction, and personal-information tasks in Higher Ed and other settings, and connects to trust and acceptance of AI in learning.

    Limitations

    The study used a within-subjects video-based paradigm rather than physical interaction, which may not fully capture real-world trust dynamics. The three tasks and robot appearances are a sample of a broader design space. The sample (N = 81) and specific task framing may limit generalizability across educational contexts and populations.

    Connected Concepts

  • Social Robots
  • Human Robot Interaction
  • Educational Robotics
  • Trust
  • Higher Ed

    • Connected Articles

  • White Wu Robotics AI Education 2026 — Robotics and AI in Education
  • Human Autonomy Agency Hri Review 2025 — Human Autonomy and Agency in HRI
  • Knowledge Based Design Generative Social Robots 2026 — Knowledge-Based Design for Generative Social Robots

    • Citation

    Velentza, A.-M., Nikou, K., Bosser, A.-G., & Fachantidis, N. (2026). What robots do matters more than what they look like: Task context shapes trust in educational HRI. arXiv:2606.14602.