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A Robot Is Not Worth Another: Exploring Children's Mental State Attribution to Different Humanoid Robots
Federico Manzi1, Giulia Peretti1, Cinzia Di Dio1
1Research Unit on Theory of Mind, Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy.
Frontiers in Psychology
|October 26, 2020
Summary
Children tend to anthropomorphize humanoid robots, with younger children showing a stronger tendency. Older children attribute more mental states to robots with more human-like features, impacting robot design for different age groups.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Developmental Psychology
- Human-Robot Interaction
Background:
- Technological advancements have increased the prevalence of humanoid robots.
- Studies suggest human-like robot features encourage anthropomorphism in users.
- Anthropomorphism, attributing human qualities to non-human entities, is a key factor in human-robot interaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare mental state attribution in children towards two humanoid robots with varying degrees of anthropomorphism: NAO (more human-like) and Robovie (more mechanical).
- To investigate the influence of children's age (5, 7, and 9 years) on their tendency to anthropomorphize robots.
- To understand how robot design, specifically its human-like characteristics, affects children's perception of mental states.
Main Methods:
- Children aged 5, 7, and 9 years participated in the study.
- Participants were asked to attribute mental states to the NAO and Robovie robots.
- The study compared responses based on children's age and the specific robot's physical characteristics.
Main Results:
- Five-year-old children demonstrated a higher tendency to anthropomorphize both robots compared to older children.
- Seven- and 9-year-old children attributed more mental states to the NAO robot (more human-like) than the Robovie robot (more mechanical).
- While younger children anthropomorphized robots with mechanical features, older children required more human-like characteristics for similar mental state attribution.
Conclusions:
- Children's anthropomorphism of robots is influenced by both age and the robot's physical appearance.
- Robot design should consider the target age group to enhance perceived human likeness, especially for older children.
- Findings have implications for robot design and the generalizability of research using specific robot models.
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