Neural basis of anthropomorphic robot perception: An fMRI meta-analysis of the mentalizing network

This preregistration outlines a coordinate-based meta-analysis of fMRI studies examining the neural basis of anthropomorphic robot perception. We will systematically search PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and CNKI for peer-reviewed studies published up to April 2026 that report whole-brain coordinates (MNI or Talairach) from contrasts comparing high versus low anthropomorphic robots or humanlike versus non-humanlike agents in healthy adults. Activation likelihood estimation (ALE) will be performed using GingerALE to identify consistent activation clusters. Meta-analytic connectivity modeling (MACM) via BrainMap and functional decoding via Neurosynth will characterize the functional network and cognitive associations of the identified regions. Exploratory subgroup analyses will compare active interaction tasks (e.g., interactive games) versus explicit evaluation tasks (e.g., realism or emotion judgments).