Robots or Peers? Evaluating Young Children’s Attitudes Towards Robots Using the Intergroup Contact Theory

Abstract

This pilot study is one of the first to investigate child-robot interaction (CRI) using the intergroup contact procedure. We examined how a brief positive intergroup contact with a humanoid robot (NAO) affects children’s attitudes towards robots. To evaluate young children’s attitudes towards humanoid robots, we tested 39 children (4-6 years old) in an experimental design comparing the interaction condition and the no-interaction condition. Results indicate that, unlike adults in previous studies, our child participants consistently exhibited positive attitudes towards the robot regardless of the condition, but children in the interaction condition favored the robot over an ingroup peer more strongly than did children in the no-interaction condition. We discuss the possibility that young children see robots as an admired outgroup and favor them over their ingroup members. Our findings provide important insights into the status of humanoid robots as evaluated by young children.