Mark C. Somanader
Papers
2
Total Citations
92
H-Index
2
About
Mark C. Somanader is a developmental psychologist whose research explores how young children conceptualize the boundary between living and non-living things, with a particular focus on humanoid robots and other complex artifacts. His work investigates the cognitive mechanisms underlying children's intuitions about agency, biology, and machine function. In his most-cited study (2010, 54 citations), Somanader demonstrated that three- and four-year-olds struggle to categorize hybrid entities like humanoid robots, attributing both biological and mechanical properties to them—a finding that challenges traditional theories of conceptual development. His follow-up work (2011, 38 citations) examined how remote control influences children's understanding of robots, revealing that perceived autonomy shapes their reasoning about these entities. Somanader's contributions have significant implications for developmental psychology, artificial intelligence, and education, particularly in understanding how children integrate conflicting cues about living and non-living systems. His research is widely cited in studies on cognitive development, human-robot interaction, and early STEM learning.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 2Remote control and children’s understanding of robots38 citations · 2011