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Can you trust what a robot says? The influence of robot morphology on trust
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Jones, Ben; Turner, Jessica; Vanderschantz, Nicholas
As social robots are increasingly used for sharing information, it is essential to determine whether people can trust them. Too little trust and people abandon a useful tool; too much and it may cause over-reliance. Morphology is part of communication, a channel that operates in parallel to spoken words, and it can affect perceptions before the interaction has even begun. Human-like appearances are often thought to make a robot more trustworthy, but our review of the literature shows that trust is not determined by embodiment type alone. Features such as resemblance, gaze, and expressive movement act as social heuristics, signalling what a robot is for and what it can do. Because trust arises only where a person is vulnerable and relying on the robot, information-seeking represents a meaningful context for studying trust even when the stakes are low. Within this context, trust is multidimensional, encompassing performance, relational, and moral judgements. Existing research has examined trust in information from websites, search engines, and disembodied agents, and trust in robots performing industrial or collaborative tasks, but little is known about how morphology affects trust when a robot is itself the information source. In this thesis, we address this gap by examining how a robot's physical form shapes the trust people place in it as an information source. Two studies were conducted using the same four devices: a disembodied smart speaker and zoomorphic, mechanomorphic, and humanoid robots. Each robot performed the same information-seeking task, allowing reported and enacted trust to be separated. First, in a survey, 252 participants watched a video of the robots and rated them using the Human-Robot Interaction Evaluation Scale and the Trust Perception Scale-HRI. Under passive observation, morphology had no significant effect on reported trust and only small effects on social perceptions; prior familiarity predicted perceptions instead, and the humanoid did not receive a trust benefit from anthropomorphic attributions. An observational user study then brought the scenario into the real world, where 54 participants chose to approach a robot in person and ask their own questions. Once people sought information themselves, morphology produced large effects, but the dimensions of trust moved in different, sometimes opposing, directions. The humanoid was rated as the most helpful and fit-for-purpose, yet participants were most likely to double-check what it said. The mechanomorphic robot was most relied upon because its form legibly signalled its communicative purpose. This appearance-function fit, rather than human-likeness, determined whether a robot was trusted appropriately. Cuteness and emotion encouraged people to approach, but cuteness alone did not signal credibility, as the zoomorphic robot was cute yet poorly received as an information source. Morphology's effect on trust is thus conditional on engagement, moving the facets of trust independently rather than uniformly. This thesis contributes an early empirical account of how morphology shapes trust in robots as information sources. Our findings indicate that a form that honestly signals what a robot is for, rather than one that is simply human-like, better supports users in calibrating trust. Systematically varying morphological features is a clear next step for tracing these effects to specific design choices.
The impact of self-compassion writing on chronic disease self-efficacy
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Greenway, Maia; Evelo, Andrew J.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a chronic and unpredictable condition associated with substantial psychological burden. Self- efficacy—the belief in one’s ability to manage health-related challenges—is a key predictor of effective chronic disease management, and prior research suggests that self-compassion may provide emotional and cognitive resources that support self-efficacy. The present study examined whether a brief self-compassion writing intervention could increase self-efficacy for managing IBD. Adults with IBD (N = 83) completed a negative IBD-related recall task before being randomly assigned to either the self-compassion writing condition or the control condition. Participants then completed measures of self-compassion and self-efficacy for managing chronic disease. Contrary to our hypotheses, the self-compassion writing task did not significantly increase self-efficacy or self-compassion relative to the control condition, suggesting that the manipulation was insufficient to shift these constructs. However, in line with hypotheses, correlational analyses revealed a moderate positive association between self-compassion and self-efficacy, indicating that individuals who reported greater self-compassion also reported greater confidence in managing their condition. In other words, although a brief, single-session self-compassion writing may not be sufficient to enhance IBD-specific self-efficacy, self- compassion and self-efficacy are meaningfully related in this clinical population. These findings are consistent with theories of chronic disease management and warrant further research into psychological self-management techniques for those with IBD.
He kohikohinga rangahau. A bibliography of Māori and psychology research
(Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies, University of Waikato; University of Auckland, 2025) Harris, A.; Huggan, E. P.; Waitoki, Waikaremoana; Tan, Kyle K. H.; Parker, H.
Seven years have passed since the second edition of He Kohikohinga Rangahau: A Bibliography of Māori and Psychology Research was published, with the aim to advance, celebrate, and elevate Māori scholarship and experience within psychology (Hyde et al., 2017). In the years since, Māori psychology has flourished, which gave so much more exciting works to review for inclusion in this edition. To produce this third edition, we collated ‘all’ Māori psychology research published between January 2017 and February 2025, and refined the data from earlier versions based on criteria informed by a decolonial methodology (Tuhiwai-Smith, 2021). We drew on techniques and methods from decolonial curatorial practices (Muñiz-Reed, 2017). This updated bibliography not only builds upon previous iterations (Hollis et al., 2010; Hyde et al., 2017) it also aims to chronicle the ongoing story of Māori and psychology, and reflects our whakapapa, mātau ā-wheako (lived experiences), the expanding connection to Māori psychologists and academics, and changing socio-political contexts. Tied to these connections and responses, is the desire to express Māori self-determination, tino rangatiratanga throughout all areas of psychology.
Developing effective mentoring relationships for early childhood education teachers in Kupang, Indonesia: A bioecological perspective
(The University of Waikato, 2026-09-30) Suwarningsih, Dwi Purwestri Sri; Morrison , Michele; Clarkin-Phillips, Jeanette
Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s evolving ecological and bioecological theory, this doctoral study examines how mentoring relationships shape the professional learning of early childhood education (ECE) teachers in a decentralised, resource-constrained context in Kupang District, eastern Indonesia. While early ecological formulations (Phase I) emphasised nested environmental systems, and later refinements (Phase II) foregrounded reciprocal interaction, Bronfenbrenner’s (2005) mature bioecological model (Phase III) positioned proximal processes as the primary mechanisms of human development operating across the Process–Person–Context–Time (PPCT) framework. Drawing on this theoretical progression, the study conceptualises mentoring not as a discrete intervention but as a sustained developmental process embedded within multilevel systems. Adopting a constructivist-interpretive paradigm, the research employed a qualitative instrumental case study design. Data were generated through online surveys, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis involving teachers, mentors, district officials, national policymakers, and development partners engaged in the Holistic-Integrative Early Childhood Development (HI-ECD) programme. Guided by the PPCT model, analysis explored how mentoring functioned as a proximal process shaped by individual dispositions, relational dynamics, institutional structures, cultural norms, and shifting policy conditions over time. The findings demonstrate that mentoring was most effective when characterised by sustained, reciprocal dialogue, modelling of classroom practices, and reflective feedback grounded in trust and mutual commitment. Teachers’ professional confidence, pedagogical decision-making, and identity formation were strengthened when mentoring relationships were consistent and relationally secure. However, mentoring outcomes were not determined solely by interpersonal quality. Exosystem and macrosystem influences, including leadership capacity, decentralised governance arrangements, donor transitions, cultural expectations of hierarchy, and fluctuating funding priorities, significantly shaped the continuity and sustainability of mentoring. Over time, mentoring contributed to gradual shifts from teacher-centred to child-centred pedagogy, yet these transformations remained vulnerable to systemic disruption. The study advances three key contributions. First, it reconceptualises mentoring as a bioecological developmental process, demonstrating how professional learning emerges from sustained proximal interactions embedded within layered policy and cultural ecologies. Second, it refines the application of Bronfenbrenner’s Phase III bioecological model in educational research by illustrating how mentoring operates simultaneously across micro-, meso-, exo-, macro-, and chronosystem dimensions. Third, it extends the scholarship on mentoring in Global South contexts by analysing how donor-supported initiatives intersect with decentralised governance structures to influence sustainability and teacher professional identity. The thesis concludes that strengthening ECE mentoring in Indonesia requires systemic coherence across relational, institutional, and policy dimensions. Sustainable mentoring depends not only on high-quality interpersonal processes but also on alignment across systems and continuity over time. These findings offer implications for policymakers, development partners, and educational leaders seeking to embed context-responsive mentoring within decentralised education systems and to strengthen the professionalisation of the early childhood workforce.
Machine learning for data streams with CapyMOA
(Springer, 2026) Sun, Yibin; Gomes, Heitor Murilo; Lee, Anton; Gunasekara, Nuwan; Cassales, Guilherme; Liu, Justin Jia; Heyden, Marco; Cerqueira, Vitor; Bahri, Maroua; Koh, Yun Sing; Pfahringer, Bernhard; Bifet, Albert
The exponential growth of data in recent decades has underscored the need for high-speed, real-time, and adaptive processing in machine learning. Data stream learning provides an effective framework to address this challenge. This article introduces CapyMOA, an open-source library designed specifically for data stream learning, offering powerful tools for building and deploying adaptive ML models. GitHub: https://github.com/adaptive-machine-learning/CapyMOA. Website: https://capymoa.org.