The purpose of this project was to better understand parents' and young children's beliefs, motivations, and usage of digital technologies and media. Specifically, we tested an experimental version of a children's e-book developed with the Fred Rogers Company.  Children between the age of 33-50 months and their parents listened to an electronic book and offered feedback about the reading experience. Parents also completed a questionnaire about their child's use of media.

Read with Me, Talk with Me

Learning Through Electronic Books

This study was conducted with 5-7-year-old children and their parents. This research study looked at how Spanish-speaking parents can support young children’s learning from English electronic books. Participants were Spanish-speaking parents whose children spoke both English and Spanish.

Understanding and Using Information from Video

This study looked at how young (18-25 month) children come to understand and use information from video or pictures. Children searched for hidden toys using clues from either videos or pictures.

Young Childrens use of Touch Screen Apps

The purpose of this study was to understand young children's interactions with touch screens. We were exploring whether children's physical interactions with the screen have an effect on the amount that they can learn from educational games. Children sat next to the researcher in front of an iPad tablet computer and played a word-learning game, which showed the children familiar and unfamiliar objects and labeled them. At the end, children were shown these objects in real life as well.