Social robots are increasingly being integrated into children's daily lives, playing
a significant role in shaping their social interactions, communication patterns, and
learning behaviors. As these technologies become more present in early
childhood settings, it is essential to understand how they influence young
children's development. Despite growing interest in the educational and social
potential of robots, no empirical study to date has examined the impact of robotadministered
praise on children under the age of four.
To address this important gap in the literature, the present study focused on
CommU, a small, childlike social robot approximately 30 cm tall. Its simple
design and modest size are intended to reduce social intimidation and help very
young children better attend to social cues, potentially enhancing their
engagement in tasks. Specifically, we investigated whether praise delivered by
CommU could improve task persistence in toddlers aged 18 to 24 months, in
comparison to praise provided by a human experimenter.
Our findings revealed that children who received praise—regardless of whether
it came from CommU or a human—demonstrated longer task persistence
compared to those who did not receive praise. Furthermore, the duration of their
persistence was positively associated with the amount of time they spent looking
at the agent. Notably, most of the children consistently directed their attention
toward CommU during the task, suggesting an elevated level of social awareness
and engagement with the robot.
These results provide the first empirical evidence that interaction with a social
robot can effectively enhance task persistence in toddlers as young as 18 months.
The findings underscore the potential for social robots to support early developmental outcomes and highlight their possible role as learning companions
in early childhood education environments