Robot-Mediated Administration of Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices in Autistic Individuals

The study proposed in this paper investigates whether the administration modality of the Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) influences the performance and physiological responses of autistic individuals. Fourteen participants with an ASD diagnosis completed the test either in the traditional paper-and-pencil format or through the humanoid robot Pepper, which delivered a digital version of the assessment. Across both modalities, we analysed accuracy, reaction times, and physiological activation (heart rate), taking item complexity into account. Preliminary results indicate that robot-mediated administration is feasible and comparable to traditional testing, with meaningful differences emerging as task difficulty increases. In particular, the Pepper modality tended to show lower initial physiological activation and comparable performance across most item levels. These findings suggest that social robots may offer a viable and potentially more engaging alternative for administering cognitive assessments in autism, supporting structured, predictable, and less stressful testing contexts.