In this episode of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen speak with Kristyn Sommer, a developmental psychologist and child robot interaction researcher.

Together, they explore how young children learn through imitation, why physical presence matters for learning, and what the so-called robot deficit reveals about engagement, psychological safety, and learning outcomes. Kristyn explains where robots can support learning, where they fall short, and why many assumptions about roboteachers are far ahead of the evidence.

They also discuss the practical realities and the ethics of educational robotics, and why robots are more likely to support teachers than replace them anytime soon.

Links:

• Can a robot teach me that? Children’s ability to imitate robots
• Preschool children overimitate robots, but do so less than they overimitate humans
• When is it right for a robot to be wrong? Children trust a robot over a human in a selective trust task

Bio

Kristyn Sommer is a developmental psychologist and child-robot interaction researcher whose work explores how young children learn from and with social robots. She is a postdoctoral research fellow at Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology, where she investigates how children’s social, emotional and behavioural engagement with robotic teachers affects learning and development. Her research also examines individual differences in how children relate to and trust robots, and how these insights might inform more supportive, evidence-based uses of educational technology. She is also a Jacobs Foundation Research Fellow focused on foundational work in children’s learning with robot companions.

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Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Anabel Altenburg for content production.