Touchscreens for Whom? Working Memory and Age Moderate the Impact of Contingency on Toddlers' Transfer From Video

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Koeun Choi¹  Heather L. Kirkorian²  Tiffany A. Pempek³ 

[1] Department of Human Development and Family Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States;Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States;Department of Psychology, Hollins University, United States

关键词: touchscreen;    contingency;    transfer;    working memory;    toddlers;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.621372

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Toddlers exhibit poor transfer between video and real-world contexts. Contingently responsive video such as that found in touchscreen apps appears to assist transfer for some toddlers but not others. This study investigated the extent to which toddlers' working memory moderates the impact of contingency on toddler's transfer of learning from video. Toddlers (24–36 months; N = 134) watched a hiding event on either (a) contingent video that advanced only after touch input or (b) non-contingent video that proceeded automatically. Toddlers then searched for a corresponding object on a felt board. Additionally, toddlers' working memory (WM) was assessed. Findings indicate WM and age moderated the impact of contingency on transfer: Contingency decreased transfer in younger children while increasing transfer among older children. However, this was only true for children with relatively low WM. Contingency had little impact on transfer among children with relatively high WM, regardless of age. Results from this study suggest that WM is one specific moderator that predicts whether toddlers are likely to learn from contingent vs. non-contingent video, yet WM does not operate in isolation. Together, these findings underscore the importance of considering multiple child characteristics when identifying the optimal conditions for toddlers' learning from symbolic media.

【 授权许可】

CC BY