Does Virtual Counting Count for Babies? Evidence From an Online Looking Time Study

Infants who receive better counting input at home tend to become toddlers with better number knowledge in preschool. However, for many children, in-person counting experience is not always available, despite educational media becoming increasingly prevalent. Might virtual counting experience benefit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychology 2023-04, Vol.59 (4), p.669-675
Main Author: Wang, Jinjing (Jenny)
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animation
Attention
Child, Preschool
Computation
Counting
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Home Environment
Human
Humans
Infant
Infant Development
Infants
Male
Mathematical Ability
Memory
Mind
Number Comprehension
Observation
Preschool children
Preschool Education
Program Effectiveness
Short Term Memory
Stimuli
Time and Motion Studies
Time study
Toddlers
Tracking
United States
Video Technology
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Summary:Infants who receive better counting input at home tend to become toddlers with better number knowledge in preschool. However, for many children, in-person counting experience is not always available, despite educational media becoming increasingly prevalent. Might virtual counting experience benefit the young mind? Using a novel online looking time paradigm, a cross-sectional sample of 14- to 19-month-old infants' (United States; N = 81; 35 females; 64% White; within-subject design) ability to keep track of objects presented on screen was measured. We found that infants were significantly more likely to detect a change in numerical quantity after watching the objects being pointed at and counted by an animated hand compared with when there was no counting. These findings provide initial evidence for numerical cognitive benefits from counting video relative to a no counting baseline before the second birthday. Public Significance Statement The current study provides initial evidence for infants' memory benefit from watching counting videos relative to a no counting baseline. These results set the stage for longitudinal investigations of the effects of media on numerical development and harnessing media technology to close the gaps in in-person learning experiences during early childhood.
ISSN:0012-1649
1939-0599
DOI:10.1037/dev0001478