A groundbreaking study published in the journal Biological Psychology has revealed that infants as young as 6 to 8 months old are capable of recognizing the social significance of eye contact, not only from humans but also from humanoid robots. This finding suggests that even at this early stage of development, infants can decode meaningful social behaviors from artificial agents, raising new questions about the role of robots in early childhood care and education.
The research, conducted by a team at Tampere University in Finland, focused on understanding how infants respond to robots that mimic human social cues. While previous studies have primarily concentrated on human interaction, the increasing use of robots in educational and caregiving settings has prompted researchers to explore how babies perceive these machines and whether they respond to robots in a similar way as they do to humans.
The study involved 114 infants, aged between 6 and 8 months, who were exposed to three different types of stimuli: a human, a humanoid robot called Nao, and a non-human object, in this case, a vase. The researchers set up a controlled laboratory environment where the infants experienced live interactions, as opposed to videos or images, to ensure a realistic and engaging experience.
During the experiment, both the human and the robot were presented to the infants in two different scenarios: one where they made direct eye contact (direct gaze) and another where they looked away (averted gaze). The vase served as a non-interactive control object. To further engage the infants, the robot Nao was programmed to mimic natural social behaviors, such as nodding, hand gestures, and self-introduction, similar to the human interaction partner.
The results revealed that infants responded similarly to the eye contact of both the human and the robot. This suggests that infants, despite their limited exposure to robots, already have a sense of the social meaning behind eye contact and are able to process it, whether it comes from a human or an artificial agent. The researchers noted that infants do not yet have the knowledge that robots are designed for social interaction, which makes these findings even more intriguing.
“Humanoid robots are becoming increasingly common in social environments, and people are suddenly expected to engage in social interactions with these artificial agents,” said study author Samuli Linnunsalo, a doctoral researcher at Tampere University and a member of the Human Information Processing Laboratory. “We are interested in how the human brain understands the ‘sociality’ of artificial humanoid robots.”
Linnunsalo explained that the team’s earlier research had found that adults responded similarly to eye contact with both humans and robots, and the new study extends these findings to infants. “After finding initial evidence that adult humans’ psychophysiological responses to eye contact with a humanoid robot were similar to their responses to eye contact with a human, we sought to investigate whether young infants react similarly to a humanoid robot’s and a human’s eye gaze,” he said.
The researchers emphasize the importance of studying how infants interact with humanoid robots, as these interactions could play an increasingly significant role in early socialization. With robots becoming more prevalent in classrooms, homes, and childcare centers, understanding how infants perceive them could have important implications for early childhood development and education.
While the study provides valuable insights into how infants interpret robots’ social cues, it also raises concerns about the long-term effects of such interactions. The authors suggest that further research is needed to explore the potential impacts of early exposure to artificial agents on cognitive and social development.
As robots become more integrated into everyday life, the findings highlight the need to adapt educational tools and caregiving practices to ensure that they complement human development, rather than replace essential human interactions. The researchers argue that humanoid robots, when used appropriately, could offer unique opportunities for enhancing learning and social skills in infants and young children.
The study’s findings pave the way for more in-depth research into the future of human-robot interactions, particularly in the context of early development. With robots playing an increasingly significant role in various social environments, understanding how even the youngest members of society perceive and interact with these machines is becoming more critical than ever.
The study was conducted by a team from the CNRS and the Paris Institute of Planetary Physics, and the full results are available in Biological Psychology.
