Learning to Talk to Alexa

Abstract

The tech world is constantly changing. In addition to computers, iPads, and cell phones, children now have access to voice assistants (VAs). We know little about what children seek in their interactions with VAs and what they expect. We also know little about how children guide their interactions with VAs and how they adjust their inquiry behavior based on the responses received. Although children are growing up increasingly surrounded by VAs, we know little about the impact these interactive technologies have on children’s cognitive and social development. In this study, the authors address these gaps by thoroughly examining 3to 10-year-old children’s interactions with VAs and the characteristics of their inquiry behavior. Children learn by asking questions. Their ability to ask effective questions develops from age 4 to adulthood (e.g., Jones et al., 2020; Ruggeri et al., 2016; Ruggeri & Feufel, 2015; Ruggeri & Lombrozo, 2015). Preschool-age children are able to tailor their questions to maximize the information they receive (Ruggeri et al., 2017). They are also able to critically evaluate the answers they receive and act on how informative they think the answer is. If children are satisfied with the information they have received, they tend to end their search for information or ask a follow-up question to receive additional information. If they are not satisfied with the information, they repeat their original question (Chouinard et al., 2007; Frazier et al., 2009). Although preschoolers are developing the ability to judge whether their question has been answered, it is not until the elementary school years that children become sensitive to the level of informativeness of a response (Ronfard et al., 2018). Children can engage in conversations with VAs and ask them questions. Lovato and Piper (2015) reported that children engage with VAs mostly to seek information (e.g., “Do whales sleep?”); to understand the assistant as an agent (e.g., “What is your favorite food?”); to have fun with it, either by requesting jokes or by asking silly questions; and, to a lesser extent, to give commands by sending text messages. Most of A newsletter dedicated to speech & language in school-age children