Peta Baxter

Papers

Total Citations

154

H-Index

About

Peta Baxter is a pioneering researcher in human-robot interaction, with a focused expertise in child-robot relationships and educational technology. Her primary research areas include second language tutoring for preschool children, developmental robotics, and the design of age-appropriate social robots. Baxter's major contributions center on understanding how young children engage with robotic tutors, particularly in language learning contexts. Her most cited work, "Child-Robot Interactions for Second Language Tutoring to Preschool Children" (125 citations), proposes innovative design features for child-friendly social robots that can effectively support language acquisition. In her subsequent studies, Baxter has explored critical factors affecting child-robot interactions, including the impact of age on engagement levels—finding that younger preschoolers are more easily distracted during robot interactions—and the effectiveness of different feedback types. Notably, she has pioneered the concept of robots acting as peer motivators rather than traditional teacher figures, a novel approach that has garnered attention in the field. Her work, with over 150 total citations, provides foundational insights for developing educational robots that can meaningfully support early childhood learning in our increasingly digital world.