From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The impacts of virtual learning on school-age kids is one area researchers have examined in recent years, but now, new research goes a step further, suggesting kids may be more susceptible to the teachings of robots over humans.
A new study published in the Journal of Cognition and Development by researchers from Concordia University has found that kindergarten-aged children prefer to be taught by a competent robot as opposed to an incompetent human - the children's age being an influential factor to this research finding.
“This data tells us that the children will choose to learn from a robot even though they know it is not like them. They know that the robot is mechanical,” said Anna-Elisabeth Baumann, the paper’s lead author and a PhD candidate, in the study press release.
The study researchers observed two groups of Canadian children, one a group of three-year-olds and the other a group of five-years-olds, as they participated in virtual meetings through Zoom.
On the screen, they watched a video of a woman and a small robot, named Nao, who had human-like characteristics such as a head, face and body.
The children watched as the woman labelled objects incorrectly (calling a car a book, for example), while Nao correctly labelled objects.
The next part of the experiment involved the two “teachers” presenting the children with items that they would likely not recognize, including the top of a turkey baster, a roll of twine and a silicone muffin container. This time, the woman and Nao both labelled these unfamiliar items with made up terms like “mido,” “toma,” “fep” and “dax.”
The kids were asked to label the items based on what they just watched. At which point it became evident that the group of five-year-olds were more influenced by Nao than the teacher, as they repeated the robots nonsensical object labels.
“We can see that by age five, children are choosing to learn from a competent teacher over someone who is more familiar to them — even if the competent teacher is a robot,” said Baumann.
On the other hand, the three-year-olds did not seem to prefer the human versus the robot, as they showed no difference in preference for the nonsense words of the objects.
To observe how the robot resembling a human affected the outcome of the study, the researchers swapped in a new robot, this time a small truck-shaped robot called Cozmo.
But the same results occurred as with Nao, suggesting that the makeup of the robot had no significant impact on how children trusted the robot teacher.
Some may wonder whether the kids fully understood that what they were learning from was, in fact, non-human.
But when the kids were asked if the robots were made of biological organs or mechanical gears, the response from the five-year-olds indicated an understanding that robots are mechanically created, suggesting this had no influence on the outcome.
The three-year-olds were confused by the question, and assigned both biological and mechanical internal parts to the robots.
There have been other studies examining similar areas of research – such as looking at the design of school curriculum using artificial Intelligence (AI), or research on how social robots could be implemented in the classroom.
But this study is the first of its kind, comparing a human to a robot in order to observe how children differentiate the two, as well as to determine how trust strategies emerge, according to the researchers.
This research is important, as robots can be used as tools to understand how kids can learn from both humans and non-humans, said Elizabeth Goldamn, Horizon Postdoctoral Fellow and contributor to the study, in the press release.
“As technology use increases, and as children interact with technological devices more, it is important for us to understand how technology can be a tool to help facilitate their learning.”
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.