# Body Knowledge and Emotion Recognition in Preschool Children: A Comparative Study of Human Versus Robot Tutors

## TL;DR

This study compares how preschool children learn body-related tasks from human and robot tutors, finding similar performance overall but age-related differences in motor imitation.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on preschoolers' learning from human versus robot tutors in embodied tasks, highlighting developmental differences in motor imitation.

## Key findings

- Children performed similarly with human and robot demonstrators in most tasks.
- Age significantly predicted performance across all measures.
- Motor imitation showed differential developmental trajectories depending on the demonstrator type.

## Abstract

Social robots are increasingly integrated into early childhood education, yet limited research exists examining preschoolers’ learning from robotic versus human demonstrators across embodied tasks. This study investigated whether children (aged between 3 and 6) demonstrate comparable performance when learning body-centered tasks from a humanoid robot compared to a human demonstrator. Sixty-two typically developing children were randomly assigned to a robot or a human condition. Participants completed three tasks: body part comprehension and production, body movement imitation, and emotion recognition from body postures. Performance was measured using standardized protocols. No significant main effects of demonstrator type emerged across most tasks. However, age significantly predicted performance across all measures, with systematic improvements between 3 and 6. A significant age × demonstrator interaction was observed for sequential motor imitation, with stronger age effects for the human demonstrator condition. Preschool children demonstrate comparable performance when interacting with a humanoid robot versus a human in body-centered tasks, though motor imitation shows differential developmental trajectories. These findings suggest appropriately designed social robots may serve as supplementary pedagogical tools for embodied learning in early childhood education under specific conditions. The primacy of developmental effects highlights the importance of age-appropriate design in both traditional and technology-enhanced educational contexts.