Remote control and children’s understanding of robots

Children use goal-directed motion to classify agents as living things from early in infancy. In the current study, we asked whether preschoolers are flexible in their application of this criterion by introducing them to robots that engaged in goal-directed motion. In one case the robot appeared to move fully autonomously, and in the other case it was controlled by a remote. We found that 4- and 5-year-olds attributed fewer living thing properties to the robot after seeing it controlled by a remote, suggesting that they are flexible in their application of the goal-directed motion criterion in the face of conflicting evidence of living thing status. Children can flexibly incorporate internal causes for an agent’s behavior to enrich their understanding of novel agents.

Research highlights
► Preschoolers make flexible judgments about novel mechanical artifacts.
► Goal directed motion leads preschoolers to view novel mechanical artifacts as capable of seeing and remembering.
► Control with a remote lessens attributions consistent with a living thing.