Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA.
Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA.
J Exp Child Psychol. 2024 Feb;238:105780. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105780. Epub 2023 Sep 27.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a major increase in digital interactions in early experience. A crucial question, given expanding virtual platforms, is whether preschoolers' active word learning behaviors extend to their interactions over video chat. When not provided with sufficient information to link new words to meanings, preschoolers drive their word learning by asking questions. In person, 5-year-olds focus their questions on unknown words compared with known words, highlighting their active word learning. Here, we investigated whether preschoolers' question-asking over video chat differs from in-person question-asking. In the study, 5-year-olds were instructed to move toys in response to known and unknown verbs on a video conferencing call (i.e., Zoom). Consistent with in-person results, video chat participants (n = 18) asked more questions about unknown words than about known words. The rate of question-asking about words across video chat and in-person formats did not differ. Differences in the types of questions asked about words indicate, however, that although video chat does not hinder preschoolers' active word learning, the use of video chat may influence how preschoolers request information about words.
新冠疫情大流行导致早期经验中的数字互动显著增加。鉴于虚拟平台不断扩大，一个关键问题是，学龄前儿童的主动词汇学习行为是否会延伸到他们通过视频聊天的互动中。当没有提供足够的信息将新单词与含义联系起来时，学龄前儿童会通过提问来推动他们的词汇学习。在现实生活中，5 岁儿童会将问题集中在未知单词上，而不是已知单词上，这突出了他们积极的词汇学习。在这里，我们研究了学龄前儿童通过视频聊天提问是否与面对面提问不同。在这项研究中，5 岁的儿童被指示在视频会议通话（即 Zoom）中响应已知和未知动词来移动玩具。与面对面的结果一致，视频聊天参与者（n=18）询问未知单词的问题多于已知单词。通过视频聊天和面对面两种格式询问单词的问题的频率没有差异。关于单词的问题类型的差异表明，尽管视频聊天不会阻碍学龄前儿童的主动词汇学习，但视频聊天的使用可能会影响学龄前儿童请求单词信息的方式。
