The goal of this work is to address increasing concerns about young children's digital media exposure and language outcomes by testing how the times course of word learning unfolds in digital environments and the cascading impact of digital media on vocabulary outcomes. The findings will have important implications for understanding when and where optimal word learning from media can occur.
The goal of the current proposal is to identify how digital media alters the mechanisms of word learning and subsequently impacts the lexical foundation on which a child's vocabulary is built. Specifically, the proposal aims to identify the impact of digital media on 1) the processes underlying real-time word learning, and 2) the processes of language generalization and vocabulary growth. Specific Aim 1 will use a novel word learning task to test children's ability to map and retain new words within and between digital media (2D images on a tablet) and real world objects (3D objects). Specific Aim 2 will probe children's novel label generalization abilities within and between 2D and 3D modalities using a novel noun generalization task. Further, individual differences in a child's prior technology experience will be measured and used to predict overall vocabulary as well as performance within and between each task.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Modality in which items will be presented (via tablet/digital media or as real object). 3D items initially and retention/generalization as 2D
Modality in which items will be presented (via tablet/digital media or as real object). 2D items initially and retention/generalization as 3D
Modality in which items will be presented (via tablet/digital media or as real object). 2D items initially and retention/generalization as 2D
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States
Accuracy on selecting the target item on referent selection
Children's choices on each trial of the task will be measured. Correct responses are those to the target (prompted) item - for referent selection, this is the item asked for in the prompt (e.g. shoe, dog)
Time frame: 1 minute
Accuracy on selecting the target item on retention
Children's choices on each trial of the task will be measured. Correct responses are those to the target (prompted) item - for retention, this is the item asked for in the prompt.
Time frame: 5 minutes
Accuracy on selecting the target item on novel noun generalization task
Children's choices on each trial of the task will be measured. Correct responses are those to the target (prompted) item - for generalization this will be considered as the shape-matching item (and not choosing a color or material match)
Time frame: 1 minute
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