Abdulaziz Abubshait Ph.D.

My research investigates how humans and machines interact, with the goal of designing machines, robots, and AI systems that serve as better partners in collaboration. By focusing on the human side of human–machine interaction, I identify the features that most effectively support and enhance human performance. My work takes a comprehensive approach, combining explicit measures (such as self-report data and subjective ratings) with implicit measures (such as behavioral and physiological measures) to provide a deeper understanding of how people perceive, respond to, and work with machines. This integrated perspective allows us to translate fundamental insights into practical design principles that improve the way humans and machines engage with one another.

Human-Robot Interaction, Human-Robot Teaming, Human-AI Interaction, Mind Perception, Social Cognition, Joint Action, Economic Games, Aging, EEG

Cavicchi, S., Abubshait, A., Mustile, M., Siri, G., & Ciardo, F. (2025). Can humanoid robots be used as a cognitive offloading tool? Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications.

Abubshait, A., Perez‐Osorio, J., De Tommaso, D., & Wykowska, A. (2024). Temporal interplay between cognitive conflict and attentional markers in social collaboration. Psychophysiology, 61(8), e14587.

Abubshait, A., Momen, A., Weis, P., & Wiese, E. (2023). Perceptual discrimination in the face perception of robots is attenuated compared to humans. Scientific Reports, 1(16708)

Marchesi, S., Abubshait, A., Kompatsiari, K., Wu, Y., & Wykowska, A. (2023). Cultural differences between Italians and Singaporeans in attention orienting when interacting with a mutually gazing robot. Scientific Reports. 13(11689).

Abubshait, A., Kompatsiari, K., Vescovo, V., Cardellicchio, De Tomasso, D., P., Fadiga, L., D’Ausilio, A., & Wykowska, A. (2023). Modulatory effects of communicative gaze on attentional orienting are driven by dmPFC but not rTPJ. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Abubshait, A., Parenti, L., Pérez-Osorio, J., & Wykowska, A. (2022). Misleading robot signals in a classification task induce cognitive workload as measured by theta synchronization between frontal and temporo-parietal brain regions. Frontiers in Neuroergonomics. 3(838136).

Abubshait, A., Siri, G. & Wykowska, A. (2022). Does attributing mental states to a robot influence accessibility during reading? Acta Psychologica, 228(103660).

Willemse, C., Abubshait, A., & Wykowska, A. (2022). Motor behaviour mimics the gaze response in establishing joint attention, but is moderated by individual differences in adopting the intentional stance towards a robot avatar. Visual Cognition, 30(1-2), 42-53.

Perez-Osorio, J.,* Abubshait, A.,* & Wykowska, A. (2021). Irrelevant Robot Signals in a Categorization Task Induce Cognitive Conflict in Performance, Eye Trajectories, the N2 Component of the EEG Signal, and Frontal Theta Oscillations. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 34(1), 108-126.

Abubshait, A., McDonald, C. G., & Wiese, E. (2021). Examining social cognition with embodied robots: Does prior experience with a robot impact feedback-associated learning in a gambling task? Journal of Cognition, 4(1).

Abubshait, A., Beatty, P. J., McDonald, C. G., Hassall, C. D., Krigolson, O. E., & Wiese, E. (2021). A win-win situation: Does familiarity with a social robot influence feedback monitoring and learning? Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience, 21, 763-775.

Abubshait, A., & Wykowska, A. (2020). Repetitive robot behavior negatively impacts perceptions of intentionality and gaze performance in HRI. Frontiers in Human-Robot Interaction. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 7(565825).

Abubshait, A., Momen, A., & Wiese, E. (2020). Pre-exposure to faces resolves cognitive conflict in a reverse gaze-cueing paradigm. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(2234).

Abubshait, A., Weis, P., & Wiese, E. (2020). Does context matter? Effects of humanness and reliability on social attention differs based on lifelikeness of gaze cue. International Journal of Social Robotics, 13, 863-876.

Wiese, E.,* Abubshait, A.,* Azarian, B., & Blumberg, E. (2019). Brain stimulation to left prefrontal cortex modulates attentional orienting to gaze cues. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: B, 3174(1771), 20180430.

de Visser, E. J., Beatty, P. J., Estepp, J. R., Kohn, S., Abubshait, A., Fedota, J. R., & McDonald, C. G. (2018). Learning from the slips of others: Neural correlates of trust in automated agents. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12(309).

Wiese, E., Buzzell, A. G., Abubshait, A., & Beatty, P. J. (2018). Seeing minds in others: Mind perception modulates low-level social-cognitive performance and relates to ventromedial prefrontal structures. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience, 18, 837-856.

Abubshait, A., & Wiese, E. (2017). You look human, but act like a machine: Agent appearance and behavior modulate different aspects of human-robot interaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(1393).