2-065 - Parent-Child Interactions with Books and Other Media

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

On average, children spend 1.5 hours a day watching TV, .5 hour reading print, and 5 minutes with e-books (Rideout, 2014). Children younger than four spend more than half of such media time with parents. In this session, three studies will examine the confluence of media in the home and how parents use these resources similarly or differently. First, a study will be presented examining parents’ language while reading books and watching television with their 15- and 30-month-old children. Parent language was drastically reduced while coviewing television compared to reading; nevertheless, such conversations have the potential to increase children's TV comprehension and have other beneficial outcomes for children. The second study examines 2.5- to 3.5-year-olds’ interactions with their parents while reading traditional books and an interactive electronic reading device. After using the e-device, parents were more likely to ask open-ended questions, use simple labels, and to engage positively with their child than when reading traditional books. The third study examines the relationship between parent-child interactions during book reading and television viewing at 6 months and language outcomes at 12 months. Examination of parent-child interactions during book reading and television viewing in low-income minority families reveal individual differences in parenting profiles. Together, these studies suggest that the ways parents engage with young children with media are related more generally to positive outcomes. A well-known expert in the use of media to facilitate reading skills will discuss key findings.

Sub Unit

• Education, Schooling

Chair

• Kelly Schmitt, N/A

Discussant

• Deborah L Linebarger, University of Iowa

Individual Presentations

• Parent Language During Shared TV Viewing Compared to Other Activities - Presenting Author: Katherine G. Hanson, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Heather J Lavigne, UMASS Amherst; Daniel R Anderson, Univ of Massachusetts; Stephanie Gover, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Comparisons of Parent-Child Interactions While Reading Interactive and Traditional Books - Presenting Author: Kelly Schmitt, Keiser University

• Quality of Parent-Child Interactions During Book Reading and Television Predict Language Outcome in Low-income Minority Infants - Presenting Author: Rachel F Barr, Georgetown University; Chloe Zachary, National Institutes of Health; Deborah L Linebarger, University of Iowa