PSYC 190 - Screen time, Preschool, Music

what are reasons we should doubt Skinner’s vision?

1. human behavior probably isn’t infinitely malleable as working behavior genetics seems to suggest

2. humans and other animals learn in many, many ways that aren’t described by behaviorist models

3. many of life’s most important lessons don’t come from instruction or training at all but instead come from exploration and play

The Gardener and the Carpenter

a book by Alison Gopnik in which Gopnik argues that parents should take on a role that’s more like a gardener, providing the basis for the child to grow safely and explore rather than that of a carpenter who tried to shape the child with a particular outcome in mind

What does science suggest about parenting?

science suggest that what being a parent or caring a child is all about creating a safe, protected, rich space in which children can explore new possibilities, do unexpected things, be variable be unpredictable

what is the difference between learning a teacher and learning through exploration?

Learning through a teacher is typically structured and directed, focusing on specific content and skills. In contrast, learning through exploration is self-directed, allowing children to discover and experiment in a more open-ended and creative way.

What is the importance of play?

Children learn through play, that play is part of learning. we’re exploring the space of possibilities, thinking about how the world might be if it were other than the way it is

why does some parents send their kids to preschool while other people don’t?

for some people it’s a matter of cost

why would we want to invest so much money in our child care?

1. basic economics: most people have to work and simply need a safe place for their kids to be during the day

2. may offer an educational edge that only the wealthiest families can access thereby amplifying the existing economic disparities between rich and poor

early childhood education

there is no universal system of early childhood education in the US and programs vary tremendously in all kinds of ways

some programs are funded by tax payer dollars while other rely on often steep tuition fees to cover costs

the source of this money can affect the curriculum with some school catering to national standards while others cater to the perceived needs and desires of local parents

does preschool give kids an education edge?

it depends, the better question is what does it depend on and who benefits the most?

Findings by the Society for Research on Child development

has found that students who attend preschool have significantly higher reading, math and language levels when entering kindergarten than their peers who did not attend a preschool

these finds are compelling because they use an experimental design where from a large group of kids some are selected for subsidized preschool. and others aren’t so its unlikely that the correlations found are easily explained by other factors

advantages of preschool

kids who attended quality preschool programs appear to gain a permanent advantage over those who do no

these benefits are greater for economically disadvantage kids

Achievement gap

preschool programs in the US actually only reduce the gap by five percent because the average preschool is not nearly as effective as the best preschool

what are the two important factors when choosing a school?

1. educational philosophy: focus on literacy, early numeracy, ability to implement (e.g teacher: student ratio)

2. teaching training: certification, regular updates to training

stats about screens

1. average American household has about 5/6 screens of different kinds

2. 68% of U.S adults owned a smartphone, a number which didn’t vary between men, women or across different ethnic groups

Fear of emerging technology

introduction of radio → threatened to crowed our children’s reading time

printing press: which threatened to create an over abundance of books that according to some would be confusing and harmful to the mind

greek philosopher socrates worried that writing things down would cause deficits in memory “writing is a step backwards for truth

What are the recommendations from the American Pediatric Association (APA) on screen time?

recommend that children under two not be exposed to screens at all and that older children use screens no more than two hours day

APA estimates that American kids actually get 7 hours of screen time

Why does the APA have this recommendation in place?

“excessive media use can lead to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders and obesity”

What are causal claims?

Causal claims are assertions that one event or condition directly influences another, implying a cause-and-effect relationship between variables.

Frederick Zimmerman

published a study in 2005 that looked at approximately 1,800 six year-old kids and asked how screen time was related to math and reading abilities as well as to so-called digit span

what is digit span?

the ability to remember random strings of numbers or letters (e.g phone number)

what did Zimmerman’s study find?

each hour of additional TV viewing before age 3 was associated with worse performance on test of reading ability and digit span memory

however, the study also found that slightly older kids may have actually benefited from more screentime

kids older than 3 had slightly better reading ability if they watch more TV and didn’t show deficits in digit span memory

How did researchers try to account for outside factors in the study? (screentime)

they took into account several factors including income, education level, and even a rough measure of parental cognitive ability using a military IQ test and the results they found remained true

What was the study by Gentzkow and Shapiro?

it was like a natural experiment, focused on introduction of TV to different markets in the US in the 1950s and 50s. Not all areas of the country got TV at the same time . the researchers compared kids across different TV markets and also within the same market both before and after TV was introduced

they asked whether there were differences between kids who were exposed to TV before age 6 and those who weren’t

What were the findings of Gentzkow and Shapiro?

They found that kids with preschool TV exposure performed better on standardized test overall and may have been slightly better readers by the time they were 12 when tests were conducted

What is the big picture about the findings of screen times?

the issue isn’t about screens, its about the relative benefit of screen time, what you’re watching and how much of the content you can actually pull out of it compared to the benefit of other things that the child could be doing in a particular household like reading, playing outside or maybe something less constructive

the possibilities are going to vary substantially

according to the researchers the effects on verbal, reading and general knowledge scores are most positive from children where English is not the primary language, for children whose mothers have less than a high school education and for non-white children

overall: the less parents are able to engage in English-Language education activities, the greater the benefit of watching TV and also more likely the parents are to let their kids watch long hours of TV

What are some claims about music skills?

according to proponents, music training results in improved skills in reading and math, better foreign and native language abilities, higher IQ and more refined spatial skills

How does the brain differ between those with musical skills and those who don’t have musical skills?

the parts of the brain that control the movement of the hands are significantly enlarged in musicians compared to controls

some studies have reported evidence that basic anatomical structures of the brain differed too

what do studies suggest about music training?

makes people better at skills relevant to music like detecting out of place notes, learning a new sequences of movement and coordinating movements with sounds

what is far transfer?

Far transfer refers to the application of skills learned in one context to different, often unrelated contexts. In the context of music training, it suggests that skills acquired can enhance abilities in non-musical areas such as academics or motor skills.

what is near transfer?

Near transfer refers to the application of skills learned in one context to similar contexts. In music training, this suggests that skills acquired can improve abilities in closely related tasks, such as playing different musical instruments or enhancing overall musical performance.

What do studies tell us about changes in the brain? (musical ability related)

they tell us that some parts of the cortex related to physical movement, coordination of movements with sound and possible other are changes in interesting ways

Stats about illiteracy

in the US, approximately 14% of adults are illiterate, which matches the global illiteracy rate

Data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (a branch of the United Nations) estimates that literacy rates are as high as 99% in some countries including Cuba, Bosnia, Italy, Russia and as low as 30% in countries like Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, and South Sudan

comparison of identical and non-identical twins (reading ability)

scientist have found that when kids are raised by highly educated parents, genetics plays a very small role in predicting ability, whereas for kids raised by parents with little education, genetics plays a much stronger role in predicting which kids will become strong readers

UK Study ( literacy and numeracy)

a study with 13,000 twins found that both literacy and numeracy were highly heritable over 60%, which was even grater than for general intelligence or IQ

the reason that heritability of reading and numeracy is so high in the UK is that most kids receive quality training, and so there’s not much variability in the environment

what is the overall lesson of genetics and learning?

different kids have different predispositions to read and learn about numbers but these differences are quickly swamped by effective equitable education

What is the beginning phase of counting with children?

by age of around 24 months, many kids can recite part of a counting routine like the numbers 1-5 and children no much older than this can often point to objects as they count

what are knower levels?

different stages of numerical understanding in children, reflecting their ability to recognize and use numbers. Knower levels range from basic counting skills to more advanced numerical reasoning.

what are the two steps that science recommends for those who want to encourage early numeracy?

1. simply talk a lot about numbers, even when you’re not sure your child really understands what you’re talking about

2. play counting games or better yet boardgames like snakes and ladders which teach the fundamentals of counting

what are the three important principles you can teach about counting?

1. numbers should be recited in a specific order

2. for each object we count, we should add one number

3. the last number in a counting routine labels the total number of things in a collection

why do so many people not learn to read?

one difference between spoken language and writing is that written language is written so it requires decoding a visual symbols on a page. this is a really different skill than hearing a spoken language

another difference is that written language often differs in style, structure, and vocabulary from spoken language

what is a phonemic alphabet?

A system of writing where each symbol represents a distinct sound or phoneme in a language, facilitating easier decoding and pronunciation of words.

what is logo-syllabic alphabet?

A writing system where characters represent both sounds (logos) and syllables, commonly used in languages such as Japanese.

why is reading so hard for some kids? what factors should parents be aware of?

learning to read is like learning language in one really important way. the more you are exposed to it , the more you’ll learn

what is written language register?

A style of communication that varies based on context, purpose, and audience, influencing how written language is structured and presented.

what is phonological awareness?

The ability to recognize and manipulate the sound structures of spoken language, including phonemes, syllables, and rhymes, which is essential for developing reading skills.

What is phonics?

Phonics is a method of teaching reading that emphasizes the relationship between sounds and their corresponding letters or letter combinations, helping children decode words.

what is whole language methods?

Whole language methods refer to an educational approach to reading that emphasizes understanding and meaning in context, encouraging students to learn through immersion in whole texts rather than through phonics-focused instruction.

Study between phonics and whole language

found that the phonics group did significantly better

another study found that phonics classrooms got better at reading and spelling faster than the students in the whole language classroom

another study found that students with the lowest initial scores on phonological awareness improved the most when taught with the phonics method

What are the recommendations to help your child read?

Encourage reading at home, a lot of the work will get done in the background by the child as they try to make connections themselves

are there any long term effects of learning to ready very early?

no, there’s no evidence that teaching a child earlier has any lasting long-term effects at all

a study from 2007 with data from 54 countries found no association between school-age entry and reading achievement at age 15