Young children's preconceived notions about robots, and how beliefs may trigger children's thinking and response to robots

Abstract

This paper examines young children's beliefs and preconceived notions about robots. Robots have several features (e.g., boundary-like features, human-like features, and room for imagination) that may elicit social responses and trigger serious thinking in children. An in-depth interview was conducted with 77 children between the ages 4- to 7-years old to examine how they perceive and understand robots. The findings revealed the type of prior knowledge and beliefs children revert to, and how age influenced how they see and interpret robots. The findings may assist researchers when designing human-robot interaction with young children.