The research suggests that TV and video-watching toddlers learn best from onscreen characters that directly relate to and interact with kids.
A researcher Georgene L. Troseth said that 2-year-olds are more likely to learn from a person on video whom they perceive as a conversational partner, and thus video in which two-way interaction has been established can be used to convey information.
Her team conducted two experiments. In the first, they tested differences in learning from video and face-to-face interaction among 24 2-year-old children. Some of the children were watching a video with a woman giving them the instructions how to find the hidden toy in another room, while the rest were given the same instructions by the same woman in person. Children who watched the video rarely found the toy animal, which suggests that the toddlers didn't believe or listen to her, and the children who received the instructions in person usually found the toy, however.
In the second experiment, the researchers used an interactive video. A closed-circuit video system enabled the woman on the screen to see, hear and respond to the children through conversation and games. After five minutes of interaction with the woman on the screen, the children were able to find the hidden object.
It appears that toddlers do not perceive standard video as providing information that applies to the real world, because they look to social cues such as eye contact and responsiveness to decide when to pay attention to what is being conveyed.
These findings have implications for educational television aimed at toddlers, as well as for the use of video images in research with the certain age group.
A researcher Georgene L. Troseth said that 2-year-olds are more likely to learn from a person on video whom they perceive as a conversational partner, and thus video in which two-way interaction has been established can be used to convey information.
Her team conducted two experiments. In the first, they tested differences in learning from video and face-to-face interaction among 24 2-year-old children. Some of the children were watching a video with a woman giving them the instructions how to find the hidden toy in another room, while the rest were given the same instructions by the same woman in person. Children who watched the video rarely found the toy animal, which suggests that the toddlers didn't believe or listen to her, and the children who received the instructions in person usually found the toy, however.
In the second experiment, the researchers used an interactive video. A closed-circuit video system enabled the woman on the screen to see, hear and respond to the children through conversation and games. After five minutes of interaction with the woman on the screen, the children were able to find the hidden object.
It appears that toddlers do not perceive standard video as providing information that applies to the real world, because they look to social cues such as eye contact and responsiveness to decide when to pay attention to what is being conveyed.
These findings have implications for educational television aimed at toddlers, as well as for the use of video images in research with the certain age group.