Alexandra Meltzer

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About

Alexandra Meltzer is a developmental psychologist whose research explores the intersection of early childhood cognition and human-robot interaction. Her key work investigates how preschoolers assess and trust social robots as sources of information, challenging assumptions about children’s reliance on human expertise. In her most cited paper, “People Do Not Always Know Best: Preschoolers’ Trust in Social Robots” (2023, 32 citations), Meltzer demonstrates that young children—specifically 3- and 5-year-olds—can override a preference for human informants when a robot is more competent, using classic trust paradigms and adapted Naive Biology tasks. This finding has significant implications for understanding selective social learning and the design of educational technologies. Her follow-up work (2022, 4 citations) further refines these insights, showing that even preschoolers weigh reliability over species. Meltzer’s contributions bridge developmental psychology and robotics, offering a nuanced view of how children perceive non-human agents. Her research has been influential in shaping debates about trust, learning, and the role of technology in early education, marking her as a rising voice in the study of children’s social cognition.