Talking to Robots!

For 6- to 7-year-olds in the United States.

This study will take place on a video call, live with a researcher! Clicking on the “Schedule a time to participate” button will send you to an online calendar where you can select a date and time that works for you.

Children who participate in this study will be asked to think about various experiences from their lives (e.g., when they made a friend, broke a rule, won a contest, etc.) and, for each memory, choose whom they would rather share this memory with: a robot/chatbot or another kid. Children will not actually be asked to share any of this information—they will simply indicate their preference for who they'd like to potentially share it with.

In the past, children turned to friends, parents, or teachers when they needed to share sensitive personal information like secrets. Today, AI has joined that list, yet much remains unknown about whether and why children would choose to self-disclose to AI over humans. In our study, we investigate the role of (dis)embodiment (whether AI is a robot or a chatbot) on children’s willingness to self-disclose in AI over humans, as well as the potential mechanism behind it: AI’s (lack of) capacity for social judgment. We anticipate that our findings will hold the potential to illuminate how children grapple with whom to trust in the digital age, revealing the conditions under which AI may become a preferred confidant.

10 minutes

$5 Amazon.com gift card. You will be sent an Amazon.com gift card by email on Friday of the week during which you participate. To receive compensation, you must provide valid written consent and participate in the synchronous Zoom session with the researcher.