Young Child Learning, Attention, and Screen Use with Heather Kirkorian, PhD

When a young child watches TV or uses a digital tablet are they able to learn from what they see? What are the effects of media use on the development of attentional networks?

On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry talks to Dr. Heather Kirkorian about how digital media impacts learning, cognition, and attention in young children. Dr. Kirkorian describes the developmental milestones that allow for learning from digital media, explains the “video deficit effect” – the finding that young children have a hard time transferring things they learn on screens to the real world – and how interactive elements of digital devices may support or impede learning. Dr. Kirkorian also shares findings on how background television can disrupt parent-child interactions critical for early learning, as well as suggestions for parents in choosing high quality media for younger children.

In this episode you will learn:

• How media use affects young children’s attention and learning.
• How interactivity and engagement in digital media affects young children’s ability to learn.
• What developmental milestones indicate that a child is ready to learn from digital media {and what supports they might need to enhance learning.} 
• Why young children are more likely to learn from real-life demonstrations than video. 
• How to choose high quality media content and use it to support young children’s learning.
• How background TV exposure can affect young child attention.

Dr. Heather Kirkorian is the Laura M. Secord Chair in Early Childhood Development and a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also has affiliate appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Educational Psychology at UW-Madison. Dr. Kirkorian is a developmental psychologist who studies cognitive development in infants and young children, particularly in the context of TV and digital media. She uses a combination of behavioral, observational, and psychophysiological methods to study the impact of child and parent media use on children (e.g., attention, memory, learning, play), parents (e.g., stress, burnout), and families (e.g., parent-child interactions). 

For more resources and research on this topic visit the Learn and Explore section of the Children and Screens website (https://www.childrenandscreens.org)

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Music: 'Life in Silico' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au