Can infants use robot gaze for object learning?
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Yuko Okumura
Abstract
Previous research has shown that although infants follow the gaze direction of robots, robot gaze does not facilitate infants’ learning for objects. The present study examined whether robot gaze affects infants’ object learning when the gaze behavior was accompanied by verbalizations. Twelve-month-old infants were shown videos in which a robot with accompanying verbalizations gazed at an object. The results showed that infants not only followed the robot’s gaze direction but also preferentially attended to the cued object when the ostensive verbal signal was present. Moreover, infants showed enhanced processing of the cued object when ostensive and referential verbal signals were increasingly present. These effects were not observed when mere nonverbal sound stimuli instead of verbalizations were added. Taken together, our findings indicate that robot gaze accompanying verbalizations facilitates infants’ object learning, suggesting that verbalizations are important in the design of robot agents from which infants can learn.
Abstract
Previous research has shown that although infants follow the gaze direction of robots, robot gaze does not facilitate infants’ learning for objects. The present study examined whether robot gaze affects infants’ object learning when the gaze behavior was accompanied by verbalizations. Twelve-month-old infants were shown videos in which a robot with accompanying verbalizations gazed at an object. The results showed that infants not only followed the robot’s gaze direction but also preferentially attended to the cued object when the ostensive verbal signal was present. Moreover, infants showed enhanced processing of the cued object when ostensive and referential verbal signals were increasingly present. These effects were not observed when mere nonverbal sound stimuli instead of verbalizations were added. Taken together, our findings indicate that robot gaze accompanying verbalizations facilitates infants’ object learning, suggesting that verbalizations are important in the design of robot agents from which infants can learn.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
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Editorial
- Introduction vii
- Design of a gaze behavior at a small mistake moment for a robot 1
- Robots can be perceived as goal-oriented agents 13
- Can infants use robot gaze for object learning? 33
- Interactions between a quiz robot and multiple participants 47
- Cooperative gazing behaviors in human multi-robot interaction 71
- Learning where to look 99
- Designing robot eyes for communicating gaze 131
- Index 159
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Editorial
- Introduction vii
- Design of a gaze behavior at a small mistake moment for a robot 1
- Robots can be perceived as goal-oriented agents 13
- Can infants use robot gaze for object learning? 33
- Interactions between a quiz robot and multiple participants 47
- Cooperative gazing behaviors in human multi-robot interaction 71
- Learning where to look 99
- Designing robot eyes for communicating gaze 131
- Index 159
