European-Australian researchers have found that children aged 3-6 trust robots more than humans, believing that humans are more likely to make mistakes on purpose than robots. The study, which involved 118 children, aimed to understand how they receive information from different sources. The researchers showed the children videos of robots and humans identifying ordinary objects, with some objects deliberately given false names.
The results of this study could have implications for education and the use of new technologies. Children in the study preferred the trustworthy robot over the trustworthy human and believed the human was more likely to make mistakes intentionally. However, older children trusted people more than younger ones only when the robot was shown to be unreliable compared to a human.
Despite not asking the children why they preferred robots, further research is needed to understand this preference fully. The study was published in the scientific journal Computers in Human Behavior. This research could be used in educational settings where children interact with new technologies to help them better understand how to use these technologies effectively and safely.
