Abstract
Studies show that young children learn new phonemes and words from humans significantly better than from machines. However, it is not clear why learning from video is ineffective or what might be done to improve learning from a screen. The present study, conducted with 9-month-old infants, utilized a manipulation—touch screen video—which allowed infants to control presentations of foreign-language video clips. We tested the hypothesis that infant learning from a screen would be enhanced in the presence of a peer, as opposed to learning alone. Brain measures of phonetic
learning and detailed analyses of interaction during learning confirm the hypothesis that social partners enhance learning, even from screens.
This article is part of a larger compilation of proceedings from “Digital Media and Developing Minds,” an interdisciplinary conference co-sponsored by Children and Screens and the National Academy of Sciences held in 2015. See a complete list of articles included in the proceedings.
