Selective Attention & Learning
What we pay attention to affects how we learn. We navigate the world to focus on information that is relevant for learning and ignore or suppress distracting information. In this set of studies, we investigate the role of selective attention during learning from relevant context.
Cueing Attention During Video Lessons
Ages: 3-5 year-olds
1 Visit, 1-1.5 hours
In this study, children view four short science lessons on a computer screen while images related to science also appear on the screen. Some of the surrounding images will be especially bright and colorful to capture children's attention. Children will answer multiple choice questions about the lessons via the computer before and after the lessons to assess learning of the lesson material. We will use a non-invasive eye tracker to record where your child looks as they view lessons and answers questions.
Learning from Context During Video Lessons
Examining how children learn from science video media under distracting conditions.
In this study, 3-5 year-old children viewed four short science lessons on a computer screen while images related to science also appeared on the screen. We used an eye tracker to record children's looking as they viewed the lessons and children answered questions before and after the lessons to assess their learning of lesson content.
Learning from Relevant Context
Examining how children's attention skills support learning from relevant information in the environment.
In this study, 7-8 year-old children first played three computer games in which they were asked to search for and remember food images that appeared on a computer screen. We used an eye tracker to record children’s looking as they viewed the images.
