Repairing Trust in Robots?: A Meta-analysis of HRI Trust Repair Studies with A No-Repair Condition

Abstract

As robots become more integrated into various sectors, understanding human–robot interaction (HRI) dynamics, particularly trust repair, is crucial for successful collaboration. For this paper, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of 22 HRI trust repair studies with 3,763 participants to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies for restoring trust after breaches relative to offering no repair. The analysis identified three key findings: (1) strategies are differentially effective, showing limited success in restoring trustworthiness; (2) the overall impact on repairing trust is marginal, with a small effect size; and (3) apologies and explanations are the most effective strategies for trust repair. These insights enrich HRI literature by providing a comprehensive evaluation of trust repair mechanisms, offering valuable guidance for future research and practical improvements in human–robot collaboration.