Abstract
Three pretest-posttest experiments were conducted to compare the effects of viewing versus interacting with either fantastical or real events on 4- and 6-year-old children's inhibitory control. Experiment 1 (N = 72) suggested that although viewing fantastical events had a negative effect on inhibitory control, interacting with them produced no such disruption. Experiment 2 (N = 17) also found that children's inhibitory control decreased after viewing fantastical events but not after interacting with them. In addition, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data showed that viewing fantastical events resulted in greater activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Experiment 3 (N = 72) showed that children's inhibitory control increased after viewing and interacting with real events. The implications for studying the effects of mobile devices are discussed.
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 48-57 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Child Development |
Volume | 89 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Child
- Child Behavior (physiology)
- Child Development (physiology)
- Child, Preschool
- Executive Function (physiology)
- Fantasy
- Female
- Functional Neuroimaging (methods)
- Humans
- Inhibition, Psychological
- Male
- Prefrontal Cortex (diagnostic imaging, physiology)
- Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared (methods)
- Touch Perception (physiology)
- Visual Perception (physiology)
Disciplines
- Psychiatry and Psychology