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Children prefer to learn from smart devices, but do not trust them more than humans

2021; Elsevier BV; Volume: 32; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.100406

2212-8697

Erica H. Wojcik, Aarathi Prasad, Samantha P. Hutchinson, Kyla Shen,

Digital Communication and Language

Despite the rise in prevalence of voice-activated smart devices and their potential to influence how young children learn about the world, we know little about how children interact with and learn from these devices. In the current study, 5- to 6-year-old children (n=30) were asked whether they wanted to learn more information about a series of obscure animals from an Amazon Echo or a human confederate. After informants gave contradictory answers, participants were asked whose information they trusted. Children significantly preferred to request information from the Amazon Echo but showed no preference with regards to whose information they endorsed. Furthermore, performance was not affected by technology experience. While children enjoy interacting with smart devices, they may not believe the information that they receive.