Exploring young children~s attributions through entertainment robots

Abstract

Children have "animistic intuitions" that they use to attribute intelligence, biology, and intentions. Robotic animals take on similar form and motion as real animals, and can exhibit intelligent behaviors. Two studies explore whether children apply animistic intuitions to robotic animals, and whether these attributes vary by the child's age and the robots' behaviors and appearance. A total of ninety-three children 3- to 5-years old participated in one of two experiments. Results show that 3-year-olds attribute a range of animistic properties to robots, whereas older children reduce their animistic attributions towards robotic dogs in piecemeal fashion according to specific questions and perceptual attributes.