Children prefer to learn from robots rather than adults

Man versus machine? If kids had to pick, humans might be out of luck.

Children are more inclined to trust machines than adults and may, as a result, learn better from bots, according to recent research.

In a new study published in Computers in Human Behavior, a team evaluated 118 children aged 3 to 6 and found that overall, kids were more inclined to trust machines over their fellow man.

The study divided children into different groups and showed them videos of humans and robots labeling objects, some recognizable to the kids and other items that would be new to them.

Information intake and discernment are two pillars of cognitive development and researchers were curious to see how the source of that information influences children’s reception of it.

Researchers note, “Children’s learning is ostensibly based not only on the accuracy of the information they are receiving but also on the social cues surrounding such information transfer.”

Researchers demonstrated the reliability and trustworthiness of humans and robots by having them identify familiar items incorrectly, calling a brush a plate, for instance. This intentional mislabeling allowed researchers to manipulate the children’s concept of who could and could not be trusted.

Interestingly, the children showed a stark preference for robots.

When both bots and humans were shown to be equally reliable, children were more inclined to ask robots questions and accept their answers as true. Even when the robots proved unreliable, children preferred them to reliable adults.

But that preference might only last for so long: Older children were likelier to trust humans when a robot was shown to be unreliable.

Children also appeared to be more forgiving of their machine-friends versus their human ones. When the robots made a mistake, children perceived it as accidental. But when the adults fumbled? Children thought those missteps were intentional.

When asked who they would want to learn from and share secrets with, the majority of children chose the robots over the humans.

According to researchers, “These findings suggest that not only do children perceive robot and human errors differently, but that when it comes to evaluating robot errors, children’s conceptualizations of the robots reliability, social desirability, and perceived agency are conceptually distinct and do not necessarily lead to a negative impact on the interaction.”

The research did not explore why children felt the robots were more trustworthy, and additional studies on this topic are needed.

The researchers also note that the video interactions that form the basis of this study may not necessarily reflect the results or preferences of an in-person exchange. Thus, more real-world research is needed to confirm an alleged robot bias.

Researchers are hopeful that their findings regarding the clear affinity children show for robots, can be used to further new educational initiatives in an increasingly tech-dense world. “Although more long-term research is needed, this fascination for robots has the potential to be leveraged in educational settings to overcome the social deficit associated with other forms of educational technologies,” the authors wrote.