Developmental psychology
Related papers: 20
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Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how humans grow, learn, and acquire cognitive, social, and emotional capacities across their lifespan, with particular focus on infancy and childhood. In robotics and AI, insights from developmental psychology inform the design of systems that learn progressively, interact naturally with children, and support human development. Researchers draw on theories of infant cognition, social learning, and embodied interaction to build robots that serve as tutors, therapists, and social companions—particularly for children with autism spectrum disorders, where robot-assisted interventions can encourage communication and social skill development. Developmental principles also guide how robots scaffold learning in educational settings, adapting their behavior to a child's age, ability, and emotional state. Understanding milestones such as goal attribution, curiosity, and motor development helps engineers create machines that engage children authentically. This interdisciplinary bridge between psychology and robotics matters because it grounds technology design in empirically validated models of human learning, making AI systems more effective, ethical, and age-appropriate for vulnerable populations.
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Top Cited Papers
Robots for Use in Autism Research
Brian Scassellati, Henny Admoni, Maja J. Matarić
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The brain has a body: adaptive behavior emerges from interactions of nervous system, body and environment
Hillel J. Chiel, Randall D. Beer
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Measuring user competence in using artificial intelligence: validity and reliability of artificial intelligence literacy scale
Bingcheng Wang, Pei‐Luen Patrick Rau, Tianyi Yuan
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Interactive Robots as Social Partners and Peer Tutors for Children: A Field Trial
Takayuki Kanda, Takayuki Hirano, Daniel Eaton, Hiroshi Ishiguro
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Robotic assistants in therapy and education of children with autism: can a small humanoid robot help encourage social interaction skills?
Ben Robins, Kerstin Dautenhahn, René te Boekhorst, Aude Billard
Citations: 686 • 2005
The clinical use of robots for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A critical review
Joshua J. Diehl, Lauren Schmitt, Michael Villano, Charles R. Crowell
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Qualitative changes of spontaneous movements in fetus and preterm infant are a marker of neurological dysfunction
H.F.R. Prechtl
Citations: 604 • 1990
Innovative technology-based interventions for autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis
Ouriel Grynszpan, Patrice L. Weiss, Fernando Pérez-Díaz, Eynat Gal
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Autism and social robotics: A systematic review
Paola Pennisi, Alessandro Tonacci, Gennaro Tartarisco, Lucia Billeci, Liliana Ruta, Sebastiano Gangemi, Giovanni Pioggia
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Socialization between toddlers and robots at an early childhood education center
Fumihide Tanaka, Aarón V. Cicourel, Javier R. Movellan
Citations: 470 • 2007
The five-dimensional curiosity scale: Capturing the bandwidth of curiosity and identifying four unique subgroups of curious people
Todd B. Kashdan, Melissa C. Stiksma, David J. Disabato, Patrick E. McKnight, John Bekier, Joel Kaji, Rachel C. Lazarus
Citations: 461 • 2017
Keepon
Hideki Kozima, Marek P. Michalowski, Cocoro Nakagawa
Citations: 459 • 2008
Towards interactive robots in autism therapy
Kerstin Dautenhahn, Iain Werry
Citations: 455 • 2004
Social Robots as Embedded Reinforcers of Social Behavior in Children with Autism
Elizabeth S. Kim, Lauren Berkovits, Emily Bernier, Dan Leyzberg, Frederick Shic, Rhea Paul, Brian Scassellati
Citations: 450 • 2012
Robotics in the early childhood classroom: learning outcomes from an 8-week robotics curriculum in pre-kindergarten through second grade
Amanda Sullivan, Marina Umaschi Bers
Citations: 444 • 2015
The Effect of a Classroom-Based Intensive Robotics and Programming Workshop on Sequencing Ability in Early Childhood
Elizabeth R. Kazakoff, Amanda Sullivan, Marina Umaschi Bers
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Developing young children's computational thinking with educational robotics: An interaction effect between gender and scaffolding strategy
Charoula Angeli, Nicos Valanides
Citations: 383 • 2019
Quantitative Assessment of Limb Position Sense Following Stroke
Sean P. Dukelow, Troy M. Herter, Kimberly D. Moore, Mary Jo Demers, Janice Glasgow, Stephen D. Bagg, Kathleen E. Norman, Stephen H. Scott
Citations: 380 • 2009
Programming experience promotes higher STEM motivation among first-grade girls
Allison Master, Sapna Cheryan, Adriana Moscatelli, Andrew N. Meltzoff
Citations: 363 • 2017
Goal attribution to inanimate agents by 6.5-month-old infants
Gergely Csibra
Citations: 357 • 2007