The Influence of Familiar Characters on Children’s Exploration of a Novel Object

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Previous research has found that preschoolers prefer a damaged object with their favorite character on it over the same object in pristine condition but with no character displayed (Danovitch & Mills, 2014; 2017). Although children prefer objects with characters on them, it is unclear whether the presence of a favorite character on an object influences their exploratory behaviors. When given limited time to explore a novel object, few children discover all the functions of that object or explore for the entire time (Colantonio & Bonawitz, 2018). Because children prefer objects with images of familiar characters and they show variability in the number of exploratory actions they engage in, we hypothesized that children would discover more functions and play for a longer amount of time when presented with a novel object with a favorite character on it than with the same object with an equally colorful image on it instead.
Children ages 4-5 (n=44) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: character or perceptual control. Children in both conditions chose their favorite character from 4 popular options (Mickey, Minnie, Chase, and Skye). In the character condition, an image of the child’s favorite familiar character was displayed on the novel object. In the perceptual control condition, a rectangular image of the same size and including the same colors as the child’s favorite character’s image was displayed (see Figure 1). The novel object included 5 different functions that involved different sensory components (e.g., visual, auditory, and tactile). Children were given the object and told that they could play with the object and figure out how it worked, and that they should tell the experimenter when they were done. Sessions ended after children stopped interacting with the object for more than 5 consecutive seconds or reached an allotted time of 5 minutes.
Children’s exploration was coded for total time exploring the novel object (0 to 300 seconds) and the number of functions children discovered (0 to 5). Independent samples t-tests showed no significant difference between conditions for the total number of functions discovered, t(42) = 1.002, p = .417. However, there was a significant difference between conditions for total time spent exploring, t(42) = 2.635, p = .048 (see Figure 2), where children in the character condition (M = 207.68, SD = 102.90) spent more time exploring than children in the control condition (M = 147.55, SD = 92.98). These findings suggest that children not only prefer objects with familiar characters on them, but they also spend more time interacting with such objects. When choosing products for children, parents and educators should keep in mind that children may spend more time using a new product (e.g., toothbrush) if it has the image of a preferred familiar character on it.

Authors

• Allison June Williams, Boston University
  Presenting Author

• Judith H Danovitch, University of Louisville
  Non-Presenting Author