Social robots function as embodied social media, structuring interaction by simultaneously acting as social agents and mediating technologies. This study examines how 103 young adult participants engaged with zoomorphic social robots in initial encounters, revealing dialectical tensions between presence and absence, connection and disconnection, and realism and artificiality. Drawing from relational dialectics theory (RDT) and semiotics, we frame social robots within a plural communication ontology—operating both as communicative partners and as structuring media that regulate relational expectations. Findings indicate that while social robots facilitate engagement, their enacted affordances also constrain interaction, exposing the limits of artificial presence. Like social media platforms, these robots curate sociality, fostering immersion while highlighting mediation. By conceptualizing social robots as communicative infrastructures, this study advances research on human–machine communication and technological mediation, illustrating how social robots shape social connection through structured engagement and interactive constraints.

Online forums offer family scholars a unique opportunity to learn how people make sense of complex issues related to family, identity, and relationships. These digital spaces often mirror or even amplify offline dynamics, as users interact to disclose sensitive information, construct narratives, offer validation, or address uncertainty. Online forums provide an authentic glimpse into a group or phenomenon through easily accessible, naturally-occurring interactions, including from hard-to-reach populations. Guided by symbolic interactionism, we offer practical guidance for researchers interested in this approach. We draw from existing literature to outline strategies for identifying relevant forums, collecting data ethically, and analyzing data using qualitative methods. In addition to providing several examples of published work using forums as a data source, we provide a case example of a published study using data from Reddit to demonstrate potential steps for interested scholars to follow in conducting online forums research. We explore potential study design challenges that researchers should consider, including the lack of consistent demographic data, difficulties in conducting follow-ups, and the risk of social desirability bias, even in anonymous settings. We also highlight ethical considerations inherent in this type of research. Overall, family scientists can expand their methodological toolkit and gain deeper insights into the lived experiences of individuals and families in the digital age by considering online forums as a rich data source.

This study explores college student vocational anticipatory socialization (VAS) into graduate education. Public university undergraduates (N = 99) quantitatively indicated their plans to attend graduate school and the likelihood of seeking information from six VAS sources. They provided comments on influential sources, messages received, and expectations. Across different intentions to attend graduate school, results suggest that students seek information from varied sources for different reasons, sources communicate that graduate degrees increase career opportunities, and students have underdeveloped expectations about graduate degrees' value. School personnel are most sought-after, followed by peers, internet, and relatives. Part-time jobs/internships and traditional media are not influential. Our results add to VAS research in three ways. First, the findings provide new insight into why students seek specific sources of information, highlighting the importance of source characteristics. Second, students combine VAS sources to gain diverse perspectives and reduce uncertainty. Third, most students think graduate education will optimize professional fulfillment, with a small minority who believe graduate degrees are not required for their careers. Both types of expectations are vague, speculative, and uncertain. This points to a new VAS problem - information inadequacy - consisting of messages that lack specificity and/or accuracy. We offer recommendations for improving graduate enrollment and socialization.

Background Education is often the primary arena for exploring and integrating new technologies. AI and human-machine communication (HMC) are prevalent in the classroom, yet we are still learning how student perceptions of these tools will impact education. Objectives We sought to understand student perceptions of credibility related to written feedback attributed to a human or an AI grader (Study One). We also investigated how corrective messages containing verbal immediacy and social support influenced student perceptions of an AI grader's credibility based on feedback in an evaluated essay (Study Two). Methods We used an online experimental design to assess the perceived credibility of a grader. In Study One, we randomly assigned students (N = 155) to a condition that contained a paragraph they were told was evaluated by a human or an AI grader. In Study Two (N = 222), we investigated ways of increasing perceptions of an AI grader's credibility by writing messages with higher/lower levels of immediacy and social support. Results In Study One, the students rated both the human and AI grader as credible (yet rated the AI grader lower on goodwill). The data suggest that students in Study Two attributed more goodwill (i.e., caring) to the AI grader when the feedback included more verbal immediacy. Conclusions Our results highlight the importance of student perceptions and communication styles when integrating technology into education. The two studies imply that students viewed the human and AI graders as competent, caring, and trustworthy, specifically when feedback included more immediacy cues.

Objective: This study seeks to advance the literature by disentangling the effects of deployment-acquired traumatic brain injury (TBI) from comorbid postconcussive symptoms and PTSD symptoms on relationship distress.Background: Because TBI poses challenges to military marriages, understanding the predictors of relationship distress after TBI is important for helping service members cope with the effects of the injury.Method: Survey data from the U.S. Army STARRS Pre-Post Deployment Study, collected from 2,585 married service members before and after a combat deployment to Afghanistan, evaluated predictors of relationship distress 9 months after homecoming.Results: Deployment-acquired TBI corresponded with more relationship distress controlling for predeployment brain health, but its predictive power was eclipsed by concurrent postconcussive symptoms and concurrent PTSD symptoms. Concurrent PTSD symptoms accounted for twice as much variance in relationship distress than concurrent postconcussive symptoms.Conclusion: Targeting and treating comorbid conditions may be essential for supporting military marriages after TBI.Implications: Military command, policymakers, and medical professionals may find value in broadening support services for TBI to include resources addressing postconcussive symptoms, PTSD symptoms, and relationship distress.

Mute machines offer clues to understanding social dynamics simply by their function and proximity to humans. We used followbots, robots that haul equipment without social interaction, to investigate perceptions of leader configuration on credibility, attraction, and social presence across three scenarios (leader, leader/followbot, leader/human). The followbot rated higher than the leader-only condition for competence, leadership effectiveness, and social presence. As socially silent machines gain popularity, this research has implications for understanding how robots function as social cues.

The communication theory of identity (CTI) explains that identity is multilayered and situated in communication. According to the theory, identity includes four different frames: personal (i.e., how people see themselves), enacted (i.e., how identity is expressed in interactions), relational (i.e., relational roles), and communal (i.e., group memberships). Layers can overlap and also contradict, creating identity gaps. CTI has important implications for health communication related to how health professionals can help to manage and support the identities of patients, colleagues, and informal caregivers. CTI may also provide more nuance for helping to understand why people pursue health behaviors that reinforce or contradict their identities.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to interrogate the relationship between self-reported levels of acute stress, perceived social support and interactions with robot animals in an academic library. The authors hypothesized that (1) participants would report lower stress and higher positive affect after their interaction with a robot support animal and (2) perceived supportiveness of the robot support animal would positively predict the amount of stress reduction the participants reported. Design/methodology/approach The authors hosted a robot petting zoo in the main library at a mid-sized Midwestern university during finals week. Participants were asked to rate their stress level prior to interacting with the robot pets (T1) and then after their interaction they were asked about their current stress level and the perceived supportiveness of the robot animal (T2). Data were analyzed using paired samples t-tests for the pretest and post-test scores. Findings The results showed a significant decrease in acute stress between T1 to T2, as well as a significant increase in happiness and relaxation. Participants reported feeling less bored and less tired after their interactions with the robot support animals. The findings also reveal that the degree to which individuals experienced a reduction in stress was influenced by their perceptions of the robot animal's supportiveness. Libraries could consider using robot pet therapy. Originality/value This study reveals the benefit of robot support animals to reduce stress and increase happiness of those experiencing acute stress in a library setting. The authors also introduce the concept of socially supportive contact as a type of unidirectional social support.

Social distancing policies such as limits on public gatherings and contact with others were utilized around the world to slow the spread of COVID-19. Yet, decreased social interactions may also threaten people's well-being. In this project, we sought to understand novelty-relevant experiences surrounding in-home companion robot pets for adults that were living in some degree of social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 6-weeks of participants living with the robot companion, we conducted semi-structured interviews (N = 9) and six themes emerged from our iterative analysis (expectations versus reality, ontological comparisons, interactions, third-party influence, identity, and comfort). Findings suggest that novelty is a complex phenomenon consisting of various elements (i.e., imagined novelty, technology novelty, and relational novelty). Each component influences the user's experience. Our findings also suggest that our understanding of novelty as a nonlinear resource may hold important implications for how we view human-robot relationships beyond initial encounters.

In this study, we investigated the differences in perceived competence, credibility, and social presence within socially supportive interactions (emotional or instrumental) using human, AI, and social robot actors. We further differentiated our findings by actor and type of support and found that participants thought the human and social robot differed in terms of competence but did not rate them differently on impressions of support. Our findings suggest that people may be more attuned to the outcomes of support versus the actors involved in the interaction. In this brief report, we present CASA as a theoretical framework, offer a detailed analysis of our findings, and discuss the perceived criteria for effective socially supportive interactions.

Relational uncertainty is both prominent and pivotal during the transition from deployment to reintegration. Most prior research has considered the outcomes rather than the origins of relational uncertainty, hampering the development of interventions for military couples. We theorize about two predictors of relational uncertainty during the post-deployment transition: suspicion about a partner’s deception and trust. Results of an 8-wave longitudinal study involving 287 U.S. military couples ( N = 4,147 observations) revealed that relational uncertainty increased over the transition for both returning service members and at-home partners. Suspicion about a partner’s deception, and particularly trust, predicted the relational uncertainty of military couples at homecoming and over time. These findings advance knowledge about the roots of relational uncertainty and suggest ways to assist military couples upon reunion.

Technology encourages collaboration in creative ways in the classroom. Specifically, social robots may offer new opportunities for greater innovation in teaching. In this study, we combined the established literature on co-teaching teams with the developing field of machine actors used in education to investigate the impressions students had of different team configurations that included both a human and a robot. Participants (N = 215, age: M = 24, SD = 8.67, range 18–69) saw one of three teams composed of a human and a social robot with different responsibilities present a short, prerecorded lecture (i.e., human as lead teacher-robot as teaching assistant, robot as lead teacher-human as teaching assistant, human and robot as co-teachers). Overall, students rated the human-led team as more appealing and having more credibility than the robot-led team. The data suggest that participants would be more likely to take a course led by a human instructor than a social robot. Previous studies have investigated machine actors in the classroom, but the current findings are unique in that they compare the individual roles and power structures of human-robot teams leading a course.

The consequences of a brain injury can introduce ripple effects within a family for years after the initial event. In this study, we focused on the experiences of couples negotiating their relationship after stroke. We specifically concentrated on the changes to couples' interdependence and the relational ramifications of those changes. Interview data from 41 participants (including 20 people who have had a stroke and 21 caregiving partners) suggest that as individuals noticed changes in themselves and their partner, they also noted significant changes within their relationship. As couples encountered their new relational dynamic, they had to manage various struggles including how to provide assistance, how to communicate effectively, and how to reframe their situation. Overall, couples relayed a trajectory of post-stroke life that involved a level of mutual influence that did not seem to exist prior to stroke.

Research suggests that relational uncertainty corresponds with circumscribed communication, yet prior studies have not investigated the related constructs of falsifying information (deception) and concealing concerns to protect a partner (protective buffering). We grounded our investigation in the logic of relational uncertainty theorizing, which explains how uncertainty about a relationship complicates communication and corresponds with appraisals that the relationship is unsteady or chaotic. Our research questions centered on the (a) actor and partner effects of relational uncertainty on relational turbulence, (b) mutual influence of protective buffering and deception on perceptions of turmoil, and (c) protective buffering and deception as moderators in the association between actors' and partners' relational uncertainty and relational turbulence. Pairs of at-home partners and service members completed an online survey within a week of the service member's homecoming to report relationship dynamics and communication during deployment. We found a positive association between actor and partner relational uncertainty and relational turbulence. Furthermore, actors' (but not partners') protective buffering and deception were positively associated with relational turbulence. Finally, we found partial evidence for the moderation effects of actors' protective buffering and deception. We discuss broader implications for relational uncertainty, protective buffering, and deception among military couples.

To understand the process of relational turbulence and psychological distress in the context of the military, we used a grounded theory approach to analyze individuals' experiences in online forums. Analyses revealed a process by which perceived changes in individuals' romantic partners or their relationships and suspicions of infidelity led to a cycle of turmoil. Participants reported a tension between caring for their partner and upsetting experiences and relational transgressions, which contributed to them feeling caught in the cycle. In addition to feeling conflicted, the cycle of turmoil also encompassed relational turbulence, psychological distress, and fighting between partners. The conceptual model identified in this study has implications for both theory and practice, including underscoring the importance of relational turbulence theory and identifying feeling conflicted as a potentially viable point of intervention.

Relational uncertainty is an undeniable aspect of military life, but the literature lacks knowledge about the lived experiences of military couples. We examined how individuals communicate in online forums about relational uncertainty in military life using a grounded theory approach to analyze 1,794 pages of threads. Results demonstrated that posters detected deception and/or recognized change, which led to volatile emotions, and ultimately prompted them to seek help for managing relational uncertainty. Posters dealt with their questions by engaging in self-care, justifying the partner's behavior, postponing action, and doing relationship work. In reply, responders provided emotional support by offering comfort and reframing change. They provided informational support by recommending that posters acknowledge deception, take care of themselves, consider the partner's perspective, defer major changes, and work on the relationship. These findings advance theorizing about relational uncertainty and social support; they also suggest guidelines for helping military couples manage relational uncertainty.

Advice can be beneficial yet risky, particularly when offering suggestions in sensitive and unique situations. Applying the integrated model of advice-giving as a guiding framework, we examined 916 supportive messages exchanged on 12 web-based military discussion forums to investigate the link between the characteristics of support-seeking requests and the types of support provided. Only 1% of replies displayed the theoretically preferable sequence of emotional support, analysis of the problem, then advice. Individuals who used sad language were less likely to receive advice only and more likely to receive emotional support upfront. Users who sought advice often encountered responses that contained only advice. Responses to individuals who discussed their troubles or requested only emotional support followed a slightly different pattern. We discuss implications for advice-givers/receivers and users of military online forums.