CHILDREN DEVELOP THE UNCANNY VALLEY

Robots are increasingly a part of our daily lives: they are cleaning our homes, caring for our seniors, and teaching our children. As we begin to live and work in close quarters with robots, it becomes all the more important to understand the factors that affect how people feel towards these robots. The theory of the Uncanny Valley proposes that as robots become more human-like, they become increasingly unsettling and unnerving. Do children experience the Uncanny Valley? From interviews of 240 children, we found that children don't start to experience the Uncanny Valley until they are about nine years old.

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Children Develop the Uncanny Valley: Research

PUBLICATIONS

Children Develop the Uncanny Valley: Publications

HI, ROBOT: ADULTS, CHILDREN AND THE UNCANNY VALLEY

December 16, 2017

News Article

Authors: Brink, K.A., Wellman, H.M.

NPR

CREEPINESS CREEPS IN: UNCANNY VALLEY FEELINGS ARE ACQUIRED IN CHILDHOOD.

In Press

Journal Article

Authors: Brink, K.A., Gray, K., Wellman, H.M.

Child Development

TRUST AND THE UNCANNY VALLEY: CHILDREN'S BELIEFS ABOUT ROBOTS AFFECT HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THEM

April 2017

Conference Symposium
Authors: Brink, K.A., Gray, K., Wellman, H.M.
Symposium presented at the society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Austin, TX, April 2017

“EW! THAT ROBOT IS CREEPY!” CHILDREN’S PERCEPTIONS OF MIND IMPACT FEELINGS ABOUT ROBOTS

October 2016

Conference Poster

Authors: Brink, K.A., Gray, K., Wellman, H.M

Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development 2016 Special Topic Meeting – Technology and Media in Children's Development, Irvine, California, October 2016