Effects of Previous Exposure on Children’s Perception of a Humanoid Robot

The study described in this paper investigated the effects of previous exposure to robots on children’s perception of the Kaspar robot. 166 children aged between 7 and 11 participated in the study in the framework of a UK robotics week 2018 event, in which we visited a local primary school with a number of different robotic platforms to teach the children about robotics. Children’s perception of the Kaspar robot was measured using a questionnaire following a direct interaction with the robot in a teaching scenario. Children’s previous exposure to other robots and Kaspar itself was manipulated by controlling the order of children’s participation in the different activities over the event. Effects of age and gender were also examined. Results suggest significant effects of previous exposure and gender on children’s perception of Kaspar, while age had no significant effect. Important methodological implications for future studies are discussed.