Emily Cowles-Naja

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About

Emily Cowles-Naja investigates how children interact with humanoid robots, focusing on the intersection of developmental psychology and human-robot interaction. Her work reveals that children’s age significantly shapes whether they pose biological or mechanical questions to robots, offering critical insights into how young minds conceptualize artificial agents. In her most-cited study, "Children’s Age Influences Their Use of Biological and Mechanical Questions Towards a Humanoid" (2017), she demonstrates that younger children treat robots as living beings, while older children adopt a more mechanistic perspective—a finding that has implications for designing age-appropriate educational technologies. Though her citation count remains modest (5 citations for this paper), her research has been recognized for its novel approach to understanding cognitive development through robotics. Cowles-Naja’s contributions help bridge the gap between child psychology and artificial intelligence, informing how robots can be tailored to support learning and social growth. Her work is particularly valuable for researchers in developmental robotics and human-robot interaction, offering a foundation for future studies on how children’s evolving worldviews influence their engagement with technology.