The current research landscape will be weighed in two panels of speakers:
Panel 1: Children’s perceptions of technology (Moderator Koeun Choi)
Panel 2: Methodology Flash Talks and Roundtable Discussion
Panel 1:
First, a series of panelist talks (70 minutes) on current directions in the field will bring together teams of researchers who (1) study children’s intuitions about different kinds of informants and (2) use different methodologies to do so. This panel will be moderated by Dr. Koeun Choi, an associate professor at Virginia Tech. Early career scholars Anna Baumann and Elizabeth Goldman; Lauren Girouard; and Carla Macias will describe their current research programs and findings. Each presenter will give a 15-minute talk, followed by 5-minute Q&A periods leveraging Slido to boost participation. Dr. Baumann and Dr. Goldman will discuss how children engage with and learn from robots. Dr. Girouard will focus on children’s perceptions of the internet and AI tools, such as ChatGPT. Finally, Dr. Macias will speak on how children perceive digital devices and how this translates to children's memory and learning. Dr. Choi will then engage the panelists in a discussion of the cross-cutting themes of their work (10 min).
Panel 2:
After this “background” establishing panel, attendees will participate in a roundtable discussion about relevant methodologies (55 minutes). Roundtable discussants Heather Kirkorian, Teresa Flanagan, Mengguo Jing, Cassie Eng, Sarah Kucker, Lauren Girouard, Anna Baumann, Sandra Wiebe, and Meryem Şeyda Özcan will present 3-minute talks introducing their methods (totalling 24 minutes). The methodological round tables will each have two discussants and will include: (1) neuroimaging techniques, (2) physical measurements, including eye tracking and passive sensing, (3) hierarchical and multilevel modelling, including dependent variable considerations, (4) AI and “bots” in the method: best practices. Participants will then be asked to choose a roundtable at which to discuss methodological questions and ideas with the discussants (30 minutes).