Exploring preschool children’s preferences for artificial animal appearances according to the uncanny valley phenomenon
This paper proposes extending the appearance of artefacts from human to zoomorphic on the basis of the uncanny valley phenomenon, while simultaneously realising the effects of bionic species, product realism, and gender differences on preschool children’s preferences for artificial animal appearances. In this study, animal toys were created as stimuli and a three-factor experiment was conducted with preschool children. Overall, the children demonstrated significantly stronger preferences for animal toys with extremely high or moderate realism compared with those with extremely low realism. Specifically, the boys preferred the toys with extremely high realism, and the girls preferred those with moderate realism. We conclude with some suggestions regarding the direction of design guidelines for the appearance of artificial animals, to facilitate the design and creation of animal products that promote human–robot interactions and design education.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Method
- 2.1Participants
- 2.2Materials
- 2.3Scales
- 2.4Experimental procedures
- 3.Results
- 3.1The effects of bionic species, realism, and gender on children’s preferences
- 3.2Comparing the interaction effects of bionic species and gender on the children’s preferences
- 3.3Comparing the interference of species phobia on the children’s preferences
- 3.4Comparing the interference of product identifiability on the children’s preferences
- 4.Discussion
- 5.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
-
References
References (43)
Alessi Shop
(
2016)
Neko design by Sanaa [photograph]. Retrieved November 21, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Baer, J., Kaufman, J. C., & Gentile, C. A.
(
2004)
Extension of the consensual assessment technique to nonparallel creative products.
Creativity Research Journal, 16(1), 113–117.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Butterworth, A.
(
2011)
High-end rides with James Harvey Rockers [photograph]. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chicicat
(
1952)
Ant chair 4 legs design by Arne Jacobsen [photograph]. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cila, N., Borsboom, F., & Hekkert, P.
(
2014)
Determinants of aesthetic preference for product metaphors.
Empirical Studies of the Arts, 32(2), 183–203.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Collecta
(
2014)
African elephant. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]
Doctor, R. M., Kahn, A. P., & Adamec, C. A.
(
2010)
The encyclopedia of phobias, fears, and anxieties (3rd ed.). New York: Infobase Publishing.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Feel Desain
(
2013)
Beetle chair design by Maximo Riera [photograph]. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Finders
(
2016)
Moooi Horse vloerlamp [photograph]. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
FISKARS
(
2015)
Tierschere für Kinder Biene. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Formakers
(
2013)
Butterfly design by Eduardo García Campos [photograph]. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Forsyth, N.
(
2014)
Marketing for thought leadership [photograph]. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Goldman, L. R.
(
1998)
Childs’ play: Myth, mimesis, and make-believe. New York: Berg Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Gray, C. D., & Kinnear, P. R.
(
2012)
IBM SPSS statistics 19 made simple. New York: Psychology Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Houzz
(
2016)
Zuo phante chair in pink [photograph]. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Hsu, Y. H., & Jhan, S. Y.
(
2011)
An investigation of preschoolers’ visual preferences on picture cards of Taiwan’s wildlife.
Journal of Environmental Education Research, 8(2), 31–62. (in Chinese)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Jensen, G.
(
2016)
Elephant bottle opener design by Jorgen Moller [photograph]. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Lewkowicz, D. J., & Ghazanfar, A. A.
(
2012)
The development of the uncanny valley in infants.
Developmental psychobiology, 4(2), 124–132.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Lin, H. H.
(
2004)
An investigation of preschoolers’ preferences on morphological features of mammals. Unpublished master’s thesis, National Taiwan University, Taiwan. (in Chinese)
Linnaeus, C.
(
1758)
Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus differentiis, synonymis, locis.
Editio decima, reformata, Tomus I
. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae.
MacDorman, K. F.
(
2006)
Subjective ratings of robot video clips for human likeness, familiarity, and eeriness: An exploration of the uncanny valley. Retrieved from
[URL].
MacDorman, K. F., & Ishiguro, H.
Melson, G. F., & Melson, L. G.
(
2009)
Why the wild thing are: Animals in the lives of children. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Masselter, T., Scharf, U., & Speck, T.
(
2008)
Plants and animals as concept generators for the development of biomimetic cable entry systems.
Journal of Bionic Engineering, 5(2), 167–173.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Matsuda, Y. T., Okamoto, Y., Ida, M., Okanoya, K., & Myowa-Yamakoshi, M.
(
2012)
Infants prefer the faces of strangers or mothers to morphed faces: an uncanny valley between social novelty and familiarity.
Biology letters, 8(5), 725–728.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Minato, T., Shimada, M., Ishiguro, H., & Itakura, S.
(
2004)
Development of an android robot for studying human-robot interaction. In International Conference on Industrial, Engineering and Other Applications of Applied Intelligent Systems (pp. 424–434). Springer, Berlin Heidelberg.
Mooallem, J.
(
2013)
A Child's Wild Kingdom.
New York Times, Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mori, M.
(
1970)
Bukimi no tani [The uncanny valley].
Energy,7(4), 33–35.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mori, M., MacDorman, K. F., & Kageki, N.
(
2012)
The uncanny valley [from the field].
IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, 19(2), 98–100.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ouistitine
(
2016)
Éléphant de bambou – Bamboo elephant push toy [photograph]. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Rosenthal-von der Pütten, A. M., & Krämer, N. C.
(
2014)
How design characteristics of robots determine evaluation and uncanny valley related responses.
Computers in Human Behavior, 361, 422–439.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Robugtix
(
2016)
T8X [photograph]. Retrieved November 21, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Sega Toys
(
2013)
カブトムシ. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]
Sansoni, S., Wodehouse, A., McFadyen, A. K., & Buis, A.
(
2015)
The aesthetic appeal of prosthetic limbs and the uncanny valley: The role of personal characteristics in ttraction.
International Journal of Design, 9(1), 67–81.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Syrdal, D. S., Dautenhahn, K., Woods, S. N., Walters, M. L., & Koay, K. L.
(
2007)
Looking good? Appearance preferences and robot personality Inferences at zero acquaintance. In AAAI Spring Symposium: Multidisciplinary Collaboration for Socially Assistive Robotics (pp. 86–92).
Sze, K.
(
2009)
Active media WWF polar bear & panda USB drives [photograph]. Retrieved November 21, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tonin Casa
(
2013)
Butterfly [photograph]. Retrieved November 21, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tuvie
(
2016)
Ely can: Better watering can design by Diane Dupire [photograph]. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Tyler, D., Tu, A., Douhit, J., & Chapman, C.
(
1993)
Toward the validation of pain measurement tools for children: A pilot study.
Pain, 52(3), 301–309.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Wannekes
(
2014)
Bambi chair [photograph]. Retrieved November 21, 2016, from
[URL]![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Woods, S.
(
2006)
Exploring the design space of robots: Children's perspectives.
Interacting with Computers, 18(6), 1390–1418.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Yamada, Y., Kawabe, T., & Ihaya, K.
(
2013)
Categorization difficulty is associated with negative evaluation in the “uncanny valley” phenomenon.
Japanese Psychological Research, 55(1), 20–32.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Yamamoto, M., & Lambert, D. R.
(
1994)
The impact of product aesthetics on the evaluation of industrial products.
Journal of Product Innovation Management, 11(4), 309–324.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cited by (3)
Cited by 3 other publications
Doğan Erdinç, Ece & Ayda Uzunçarşılı Soydaş
2024.
Tekinsiz Vadi Teorisi Bağlamında Yapay Zeka Etkileyicileri.
Selçuk İletişim 17:1
► pp. 1 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Ramli, Noraini, Mohd Ekram Al Hafis Hashim & Wan Azani Mustafa
2024.
THE 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADVANCED COMPUTING, SYSTEMS, AND APPLICATIONS (InCASA) 2023 [
THE 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADVANCED COMPUTING, SYSTEMS, AND APPLICATIONS (InCASA) 2023, 3135],
► pp. 020015 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Guo, Fu, Mingming Li, Jiahao Chen & Vincent G. Duffy
2022.
Evaluating users’ preference for the appearance of humanoid robots via event-related potentials and spectral perturbations.
Behaviour & Information Technology 41:7
► pp. 1381 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 4 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.