Learning from Television

Learning from television involves transferring information from the 2D to the 3D world. In this series of studies we found that children could learn from television as young as 6 months of age. We examined what might help infants to transfer and found that repetition and sound effects could support learning but that music disrupted learning. These findings illustrate the importance of developing good content.

Barr R., Shuck L., Salerno K., Atkinson E., Linebarger D. L. (2010). Music interferes with learning from television during infancy. Infant and Child Development, 19, 313-331.

Vandewater, E.A., Barr R., Park S.E. & Lee S-J (2010). A US study of transfer of learning from video to books in toddlers’ matching words across context change. Journal of Children and Media, 4(4), 451-467.

Barr R., Wyss N., Somanader M. (2009). The influence of electronic sound effects on learning from televised and live models. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 103, 1-16.

Barr, R. (2008). Attention to and learning from media during infancy and early childhood. Blackwell Handbook of Child Development and the Media, 143-165.

Barr, R. & Wyss, N. (2008). Reenactment of televised content by 2-year-olds: Toddlers use language learned from television to solve a difficult imitation problem. Infant Behavior and Development, 31(4), 696-703.

Barr, R., Muentener, P. & Garcia, A (2007). Age-related changes in deferred imitation from television by 6- to 18-month-olds. Developmental Science, 10(6), 910-921.

Barr R., Muentener P., Garcia A., Fujimoto M., Chavez, V. (2007). The effect of repetition on imitation from television during infancy. Developmental Psychobiology, 49(2), 196–207.

Barr, R., & Hayne, H. (1999).  Developmental changes in imitation from television during infancy.  Child Development, 70, 1067-1081.

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