Gameplay With a Socially Supportive Virtual Robot Enhances Children's Global Self-Esteem, Peer Relationships, Interest and Engagement

Abstract

Self-esteem plays a crucial role in children's psychological well-being and social development. However, traditional interventions cannot provide consistent and engaging support. Recently, game-based learning has shown promise in fostering self-reliance and social confidence. Notably, socially supportive robots, offering consistent, adaptive, and peer-like reinforcement, have emerged as potential tools for enhancing children's self-esteem. Nevertheless, their effectiveness in improving self-esteem remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the role of a socially supportive virtual robot in boosting children's self-esteem, social engagement, and motivation through game-based interactions. Specifically, we examined whether positive reinforcement from the robot influenced children's global and social self-esteem, the quality and quantity of their friendships, and sustained engagement with the game. Twenty-three children in India participated in a video game with and without the virtual robot across three 30-minute sessions over a month. Results indicated that children who interacted with the virtual robot showed significant improvement in global self-esteem, enhanced quantity and quality of friendships, and sustained interest and enjoyment in the task. However, no considerable change was observed in social self-esteem between the experimental and control conditions. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential of robot-mediated interventions for boosting children's self-esteem and social engagement.