Children know that they do not have to hit or tantrum, even if their anger is with one of the robots in the house like Alexa or the Roomba vacuum cleaner. According to a new study by psychologists at Duke University, children perceive these machines as smart devices, the former more than the latter, and both deserve kind treatment from them. Sometimes they are even nicer to these artificial intelligence devices than to some adult people.
However, that feeling waned as children between the ages of four and 11 moved into adolescence. These findings have recently been published in the journal Developmental Psychology.
The main author, inspired in part by series like Westworld and the movie Ex Machina, wanted to investigate the relationship between humans and robots. “We see how adults can interact with robots in these cruel and horrible ways,” explains Teresa Flanagan.
To find out, Flanagan recruited 127 children ages four to eleven, who had to visit a science museum with their families. Participants watched a twenty second clip of each technology and were then asked a few questions about each device. Based on the results, overall, the kids decided that both Alexa and Roomba probably aren't ticklish and wouldn't feel pain if pinched, suggesting they can't feel physical sensations like people.
However, they believe that Alexa possessed high marks in mental and emotional abilities, such as being able to think or get angry after someone misbehaved with her. "And it's not that they think all technologies have emotions and minds, they don't think Roomba does, so there's something special about Alexa's ability to communicate verbally," the author continues.
Regardless of the different perceived abilities of the two technologies, children of all ages agreed that it was wrong to hit or yell at the machines. However, as they progressed into adolescence, they had a higher tolerance for violent behavior.
In their study, one 10-year-old boy said it was not okay to yell at the technology because "the microphone sensors might break if you yell too loud," while another 10-year-old boy explained it was not okay because "the robot really You will feel very sad."
“Four- and five-year-olds seem to think that you don't have the freedom to commit a moral violation, like attack someone. But as they get older, they seem to think that it is not good, but that they have the freedom to do it”, concludes the lead author.
