How to Build an Intentional Android: Infants' Imitation of a Robot's Goal‐Directed Actions

Abstract

This study examined whether young children are able to imitate a robot's goal‐directed actions. Children (24–35 months old) viewed videos showing a robot attempting to manipulate an object (e.g., putting beads inside a cup) but failing to achieve its goal (e.g., beads fell outside the cup). In 1 video, the robot made eye contact with a human before and after it failed the action. In another video, the robot did not make eye contact with the human adult. Only in the former condition did children “imitate” the robot's “intended” but unconsummated actions (e.g., putting beads inside a cup). When the robot did not make eye contact, children performed poorly, at the baseline level. These results suggest that human‐like gaze behaviors, not human‐like morphology, may play an important role in young children's imitation of a nonhuman agent's goal‐directed behaviors.

Understanding how children understand robots: Perceived animism in child–robot interaction

“…Children may, thus, have experienced a sense of affection from the robot. Indeed, eye contact has been found to be an important human characteristic of robots to encourage infant engagement (Itakura et al, 2008). Also, 7% of children made assumptions that the robot had positive intentions, an example of an animistic belief, and, therefore, liked them.…”

Young Children’s Folk Knowledge of Robots

“…The concept of using a robot resembling a person was similar to that of the robot resembling a dog in Jipson's study. Furthermore, Robovie had been used in several other psychological studies (Itakura, 2006;Itakura, Ishida, Kanda, Ishiguro, Shimada, Lee, 2008;Itakura, Okanda, Moriguchi, 2008;Moriguchi, Kanda, Ishiguro, Itakura, 2010;Moriguchi, Minato, Ishiguro, Itakura, 2007) but few clarified the kind of knowledge that children have of Robovie. If children's knowledge of robots was method dependent, we may be sure that the results would not show the same tendency as that of the previous studies.…”

Investigating Entrainment of People’s Pointing Gestures by Robot’s Gestures Using a WOZ Method

“…Here, Itakura et al [28] reproduced Meltzoff's experiments [29] using a humanoid robot. Meltzoff investigated whether human infants, when looking at adult and mechanical arm actions, understood such intentions and imitated them.…”