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| Robert E. Kraut | |
|---|---|
| Name | Robert E. Kraut |
| Birth date | 1941 |
| Occupation | Psychologist, Computer Scientist, Professor |
| Employer | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Alma mater | Kenyon College; University of Michigan |
Robert E. Kraut was an American social psychologist and human–computer interaction researcher noted for pioneering work at the intersection of social psychology, computer science, human–computer interaction, and communication studies. He directed interdisciplinary teams that combined empirical methods from psychology with computational approaches from computer science to study collaboration, online communities, and computer-mediated communication. His work influenced scholars across Carnegie Mellon University, Bell Labs, IBM Research, and numerous international research centers.
Kraut was born in 1941 and raised in a milieu that fostered interest in both the behavioral sciences and technological innovation. He attended Kenyon College for undergraduate studies before earning a doctorate at the University of Michigan, where he trained under scholars working in social cognition and group processes. During his doctoral period he engaged with research traditions connected to figures at Stanford University, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago, which shaped his later interdisciplinary agenda. His formative education placed him in contact with contemporaneous research networks tied to institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley.
Kraut joined the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University and became a central figure in building bridges between the school's Human–Computer Interaction Institute and departments such as Psychology Department, Carnegie Mellon University and School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University. He collaborated with researchers at Bell Labs, AT&T Research, and IBM Research and held visiting positions connected to Microsoft Research and Nokia Research Center. Kraut supervised doctoral students who later held posts at institutions including MIT, Stanford University, University of Washington, and University of California, Irvine. He served on editorial boards for journals affiliated with organizations like the Association for Computing Machinery and the American Psychological Association and participated in program committees for conferences such as CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems and CSCW.
Kraut advanced empirical theories about how technology mediates social interaction by integrating classic social psychological frameworks from scholars associated with Solomon Asch, Kurt Lewin, and Muzafer Sherif with computational models used at Bell Labs and Xerox PARC. He produced influential work on computer-mediated communication that related to theories advanced by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Michigan. His studies examined social support in online communities, drawing connections to social capital theories linked to Robert Putnam and to persuasion research connected to Elaboration Likelihood Model proponents. Kraut's research on group coordination and remote collaboration extended earlier group dynamics traditions exemplified by scholars at Ohio State University and Yale University and engaged with software engineering research from Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute.
Kraut was a leader in empirical field experiments and longitudinal studies of virtual communities, situating his analyses alongside influential work from Howard Rheingold and projects at Wikipedia and Internet Relay Chat research teams. He developed models of social influence and commitment relevant to design practices at firms such as Google and Facebook and to policy debates involving organizations like the National Science Foundation. His collaborations bridged domains represented by Cognitive Science Society and ACM SIGCHI.
Kraut authored and coauthored books and articles that became staples across laboratories in human–computer interaction and social psychology. Notable works include monographs and edited volumes that influenced curricula at Carnegie Mellon University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His peer-reviewed articles appeared in journals associated with Association for Computing Machinery, American Psychological Association, and cross-disciplinary outlets that connect to academies such as the National Academy of Sciences. He contributed chapters alongside scholars from Stanford University, Harvard University, and University of California, Berkeley and presented keynote addresses at conferences including CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems and International Communication Association meetings. Several of his studies became core reading in graduate seminars at Princeton University and Columbia University.
Kraut received professional recognition from bodies such as the Association for Computing Machinery and the American Psychological Association for contributions to human–computer interaction and social psychology. His work was cited in award citations connected to institutions like Carnegie Mellon University and international research consortia. He held fellowships and honorary roles that linked him to academies and societies including the Cognitive Science Society and NSF-funded centers. Colleagues from Bell Labs, IBM Research, and Microsoft Research acknowledged his influence in shaping interdisciplinary research agendas.
Kraut's personal collaborations fostered long-term networks spanning Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, MIT Media Lab, and industry research labs. He mentored generations of scholars who continued research at institutions such as University of Washington, University of California, Irvine, and University of Pennsylvania and in companies including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. His legacy endures in curricula at programs like the Human–Computer Interaction Institute and in design principles implemented across platforms inspired by teams at Facebook and Google. The methodological standards he promoted influenced grant programs at the National Science Foundation and publication norms in venues like ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Category:American social psychologists Category:Human–computer interaction researchers Category:Carnegie Mellon University faculty