Does it make sense to have a robot as a teacher?
Is the presence of a robot used as an educator beneficial?
Well, it depends if you are an adult or a child. The following article reveals some results of a study on the influence of a robot educator.
Young children have been shown to be much more likely than adults to have their opinions and decisions influenced by robots.
A study from the University of Plymouth in England compared the way adults and children perform an identical task in the presence of peers (therefore humans) and humanoid robots.
The results showed that, although adults are often influenced by their peers, they can resist the persuasion of robots.
However, children aged seven to nine were more likely to give the same answer as the robot, even if they were clearly incorrect.
The study used the Asch paradigm, which asks people to look at a screen with four lines and indicate which lines are the same length.
When alone, people almost never make a mistake, but when they experience others, they tend to follow what others say.
Single children had an average score of 87% at the end of the test. This percentage dropped to 75% when they were joined by robots. And among the wrong answers, 74% corresponded to those of the robot.
By posting in Science Robotics, the scientists say the study provides an interesting insight into how robots could be used positively in society. However, they also say that this raises some concerns about the potential for the negative influence of robots on vulnerable young children.
The research was directed by researcher Anna Vollmer and Tony Belpaeme professor of robotics from the University of Plymouth and the University of Ghent.
Tony Belpaeme Says:
This gives an interesting overview of how robots could be used positively in society. People often follow the opinions of others and it has long been understood that it is difficult to resist the appropriation of the views and opinions of the people around us. This is established as a rule.
As we now find robots at home and in the workplace, it is interesting to see that children also comply with them.
Our results show that adults do not comply with what robots say. But when we did experience with children, they did.
This shows that children can perhaps have more affinities with robots than adults, which begs the question: what if the robots suggested, for example, which products to buy or what to think?
Robots are already used in education (like the Zora robot) and can be beneficial in learning STEM. In these environments, the robot is in a position where the information it provides can significantly affect the children with whom it interacts.
Some protective measures must be put in place, but used in the right way, these robotic educators could considerably improve the education of children.
But will robots replace teachers or will their roles be limited to that of assistants or tutors?
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