Subject Selection Bias in Intervention Experiments with Socially Assistive Robots and the Impact on the Representativeness of the Population

摘要

The subjects of all studies have their own personalities and characteristics. For example, the characteristics of elderly individuals being assisted by Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) needs to be investigated. However, the attributes of subjects' personalities that affect the outcome of intervention experiments involving SARs have been analyzed mainly by gender so far. The purpose of this study is to clarify the selection criteria of the subjects in intervention experiments with SARs and their influence on subjects' attributes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to clarify the criteria by which subjects were selected and the relationship between the subjects and the facility personnel. We interviewed 13 staff members who were involved in the selection of subjects for SAR intervention experiments in six facilities. According to the subject selection criteria discovered in these interviews, we did follow-up research to clarify the influence on the attributes of the selected subjects. In conclusion, the subject selection criteria reported by the staff were analyzed according to four categories based on the interview surveys. It was verified that the selection criteria affected the selection attributes of subjects' degree of involvement, relationship, and character. Going forward, it is necessary to link this research to not only the personality of the elderly person being assisted but also to their family structure and hobbies, friendship characteristics, and the function of the SARs.