Sarah Nugent

Papers

Total Citations

265

H-Index

About

Dr. Sarah Nugent is a pioneering researcher in child–robot interaction, exploring how young people perceive, befriend, and assist autonomous social robots. Her landmark 2011 study, *Understanding how children understand robots* (186 citations), revealed the nuanced ways children attribute animism and intentionality to robotic agents—work that fundamentally shaped the field of developmental human-robot interaction. In her 2010 study *Children’s relationships with robots* (42 citations), Nugent demonstrated that after brief encounters, children readily ascribe friendship qualities to robots, treating them as social companions rather than mere machines. Her equally influential *Would Children Help a Robot in Need?* (37 citations) showed that children exhibit prosocial behavior toward robots, extending empathy and assistance even when no explicit reward is offered. Conducted at a major Western Canadian science centre, these studies collectively established Nugent as a leading voice in understanding how children’s social cognition adapts to emerging technologies. Her work has profound implications for designing educational robots, therapeutic companions, and AI systems that interact with young users. With over 265 total citations, Nugent’s research continues to inform developmental psychology, robotics design, and human–AI ethics.