Are Roboteachers Coming? (Probably Not)

Feb 12, 2026

Kristyn Sommer, a developmental psychologist studying how children learn with social robots. She discusses imitation, the video and robot deficits, why physical presence and engagement matter, and ethical and practical limits of robots in classrooms. Short, clear takes on when robots can help and why they probably will support teachers rather than replace them.

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INSIGHT

Imitation Is An Evolutionary Learning Shortcut

Young children learn rapidly by imitation as an evolutionary adaptation that signals group membership and safety.
Kristyn Sommer explains imitation is pre-linguistic and socially motivated, distinct from emulation seen in apes.

INSIGHT

Children Copy Redundant Steps To Preserve Cultural Rules

Children often overimitate redundant or ritualistic actions, copying even visible-ly unnecessary steps.
The glass ceiling box experiments showed children copy redundant actions on transparent boxes while chimpanzees skip them.

ANECDOTE

Research Story That Spawned The Robot Deficit

Kristyn recounts the video deficit where children learn less from screens than live people but found contingent interactivity (FaceTime-style) reduced the gap.
She notes screens became more interactive over 20 years, likely shrinking the video deficit.

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In this episode of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen speak with Kristyn Sommer, a developmental psychologist and child robot interaction researcher.

Together, they explore how young children learn through imitation, why physical presence matters for learning, and what the so-called robot deficit reveals about engagement, psychological safety, and learning outcomes. Kristyn explains where robots can support learning, where they fall short, and why many assumptions about roboteachers are far ahead of the evidence.

They also discuss the practical realities and the ethics of educational robotics, and why robots are more likely to support teachers than replace them anytime soon.

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Bio

Kristyn Sommer is a developmental psychologist and child-robot interaction researcher whose work explores how young children learn from and with social robots. She is a postdoctoral research fellow at Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology, where she investigates how children’s social, emotional and behavioural engagement with robotic teachers affects learning and development. Her research also examines individual differences in how children relate to and trust robots, and how these insights might inform more supportive, evidence-based uses of educational technology. She is also a Jacobs Foundation Research Fellow focused on foundational work in children’s learning with robot companions.

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Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Anabel Altenburg for content production.