Did a Human Say That, or Did AI?

For 6- to 10-year-olds

Your child will listen to recorded answers to science-related questions. They’ll be asked to decide whether the speaker sounds like a human or an AI and tell us how sure they are and why they think so. Then they'll be asked a series of questions about their beliefs about and attitudes towards AI.

This study explores how children decide whether a voice is coming from a human or an artificial intelligence (AI). As AI tools are increasingly used in educational settings, it's important to understand how children interpret and trust the information they receive from different types of speakers. We therefore examine how children's judgments about the source of information (human vs. AI) are influenced by the way the voice speaks (e.g., using emotional words or hedging). Children are asked how sure they are of their answers, and to provide explanations for why they think what they do. After this task, they'll be asked questions that explore their beliefs about AI (what it is and does) and attitudes towards AI (whether they like it). Together, these activities help us learn how children interpret social and speech cues in learning contexts and how to better design AI systems that support their development.

20 minutes

Both parent and child must be visible during video consent. Families of participating children will receive a $10 Tango e-gift card as a thank-you for their time. The gift card can be redeemed at a wide variety of popular retailers or transferred to a prepaid Visa/Mastercard, PayPal account, or U.S. bank account. It will be sent via email within one week. Each child may participate in the study only once. To be eligible for compensation, the child must be within the required age range and be able to hear the experiment audio.