Exploring Children’s Strategies in Response to Robot’s Advice During a Group Task with iCub and Nao

This study investigates children’s trust in two humanoid robots, Nao and iCub, through a cooperative game designed to elicit spontaneous behaviors and group dynamics. We investigate whether participants change their choices after hearing advice from a robot, considering rounds where the advice is correct or incorrect, with the robot apologizing for its mistakes. Results reveal that, in most cases, participants prefer not to change their moves after the robot’s advice. Additionally, after the robots made mistakes, participants are less likely to actively follow their advice and more likely to reject it. No significant differences in strategies among the iCub and Nao samples are evidenced. Furthermore, we examine the influence of group dynamics, identifying “Proactive Players” who consistently initiated moves. A significant association between the strategies of this player and their teammates is found, suggesting potential influence.