Examination of the psychoneurobiology elicited in the elderly by infants and its application to life-support robots

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K19899
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology
• Principal Investigator: Kato Kenji 国立研究開発法人国立長寿医療研究センター, 研究所 健康長寿支援ロボットセンター, 室長 (30771216)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 生活支援ロボット / インタラクション / 乳幼児 / コミュニケーション支援ロボット / 心理反応 / マーカーレス表情分析 / 共感性 / 高齢者

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this study is to examine the psychoneuropsychological basis of the various voices and facial expressions of infants in elderly people, and to improve communication support robots based on the findings obtained. So far, more than 200 women (young people: no childbirth experience, young people: childbirth experience, elderly people: no childbirth experience, elderly women: childbirth experience) have listened to infant sounds of laughter, cooing and crying, and their psychological reactions have been investigated using questionnaires. The results showed that the correlation coefficients between the self-estimated pleasantness/unpleasantness of the infant and the self were higher for laughter and cooing sounds in the young women's group (who had given birth) and in the older women's group. These results suggest that the degree of emotional resonance in positive infant voices increases with age and experience of childbirth.

Free Research Field

医療福祉工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

我が国では，高齢者における独居者数や認知症患者数の急増が大きな社会的問題となっている．現在，高齢者の単独世帯数は500万世帯を超えており，高齢者の社会的孤立が，コミュニケーション量の低下だけでなく，心理的・社会的フレイルの要因に繋がることが示されている．本研究では，乳幼児の声の聴取による高齢者の心理反応基盤について調査してきた．具体的には，高齢女性群において，肯定的な乳幼児の声に対する感情の共感性が増加することを明らかにした．これらの知見は，赤ちゃん型のコミュニケーション支援ロボットによる高齢者との触れ合いが“可愛がりたい”“世話をしてあげたい”といった共感性を創出できる可能性を示唆している．