Can robots be used as a vehicle for the projection of socially sensitive issues? exploring children's attitudes towards robots through stories

Abstract

This paper presents results from a study that explored children's attitudes of robots using a qualitative approach in the form of writing stories. This approach was chosen as complimentary to quantitative methods using questionnaires that were previously used to enquire about children's attitudes and perceptions towards both physical, emotional and personality aspects of robots. Results suggest that narrative can be a useful tool to elicit children's attitudes about robots, allowing them to explore their past experiences about bullying behaviour in a novel and safe context.