The Interaction of Children's Concepts about Agents and Their Ability to Use an Agent-Based Tutoring System

Computer-based teachable agents are a promising compliment to classroom instruction. However, little is known about how children think about these artificial agents. In this study, we investigated children’s concepts about the intentionality of a software agent they had interacted with and tested whether these concepts would change in response to exposure to the agent. We also tested whether individual differences in concepts about agent intentionality would affect children’s ability to learn from the agent. After repeated exposure to a teachable agent, students did not make more intentional attributions for the agent than a computer, but a general understanding of agency predicted success in learning from the agent. Understanding basic concepts about agency appears to be an important part of the successful design, implementation, and effectiveness of computer-based learning environments.