Children’s perception of social robots as a source of information across different domains of knowledge

Abstract

This study explores children’s perception of social robots as a source of information across different domains of knowledge. Three- to 6-year-old children (N = 80) chose between a robot and either a cartoon character or an adult to learn new information in five different domains. Regardless of the opponent, children preferred to ask questions to the robot most about machines, and least about biology and psychology. In all domains, children’s judgments of robots as animate beings affected their preferences. Specifically, the more perceptual abilities children attributed to robots, the more they were likely to choose the robot over the adult to learn new information. Our findings suggest that children’s perception of social robots as knowledgeable informants depends on the subject and their animacy attribution to robots.