Mark Nielsen
Papers
12
Total Citations
307
H-Index
8
About
Mark Nielsen is a leading developmental psychologist whose research sits at the intersection of social learning, imitation, and human-robot interaction. His work fundamentally explores how children learn from and interact with both human and non-human agents, with a particular focus on the mechanisms of imitation and social transmission. Nielsen’s most influential contribution is his seminal 2007 work on imitation and social learning across robots, humans, and animals, which has garnered over 130 citations and shaped our understanding of social intelligence’s origins. He has pioneered investigations into children’s perceptions of robots’ moral worth and their tendency to overimitate robotic models, revealing nuanced differences in how young learners treat artificial versus human teachers. His recent studies, including work on the “video deficit” in technology-rich environments and children’s selective trust in robots’ emotional testimony, have direct implications for designing effective educational robots. With a career spanning nearly two decades, Nielsen’s research consistently bridges developmental psychology and robotics, producing insights that inform both theoretical frameworks and practical applications in early childhood education and human-robot interaction.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Imitation and Social Learning in Robots, Humans and Animals132 citations · 2007
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- 4Interacting Socially With Human Hands at 24 Months of Age16 citations · 2008
- 5Can a robot teach me that? Children’s ability to imitate robots15 citations · 2020
- 6The early ontogeny of infants’ imitation of on screen humans and robots15 citations · 2021
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- 10Hand in Hand: Tools and techniques for understanding children's touch with a social robot6 citations · 2016