Do STEM students like robots more?: Relationships between education programmes, perceived mind in AI, and attitude towards AI

This study investigated the influence of STEM education on attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) and the perception of AI’s mind, specifically agency and experience. Differences between STEM and non-STEM groups were examined while controlling for confounding factors such as gender and neuroticism. Initial analyses indicated that STEM students reported significantly more positive attitudes toward AI, consistent with prior research linking STEM background to favourable AI perceptions. However, this effect became non-significant after controlling for gender and neuroticism, suggesting that demographic and personality variables may partly explain previously observed group differences. Contrary to expectations, explicit perceptions of AI’s agency and experience were positively associated with positive attitudes, with only explicit agency perception uniquely predicting positive attitudes after accounting for covariates. Implicit perceptions did not significantly relate to...Show moreThis study investigated the influence of STEM education on attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) and the perception of AI’s mind, specifically agency and experience. Differences between STEM and non-STEM groups were examined while controlling for confounding factors such as gender and neuroticism. Initial analyses indicated that STEM students reported significantly more positive attitudes toward AI, consistent with prior research linking STEM background to favourable AI perceptions. However, this effect became non-significant after controlling for gender and neuroticism, suggesting that demographic and personality variables may partly explain previously observed group differences. Contrary to expectations, explicit perceptions of AI’s agency and experience were positively associated with positive attitudes, with only explicit agency perception uniquely predicting positive attitudes after accounting for covariates. Implicit perceptions did not significantly relate to attitudes. These findings highlight the complex interplay between educational background, personality, and cognitive perceptions in shaping attitudes toward AI. Limitations include a small, homogenous sample and reliance on cross-sectional data, underscoring the need for more diverse and longitudinal research. This study contributes to understanding the psychological factors underlying human-AI interaction and suggests potential targets for interventions to foster balanced and informed AI attitudes.Show less

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Do STEM students like robots more? Relationships between education programmes, perceived mind in AI, and attitude towards AI