Attention to text in video predicts young children's orthographic knowledge

Abstract

Background and Aims: This study examined preschool-aged children's attention to text in video, and whether it may be related to their developing orthographic knowledge. Sample 1: Study 1 showed 66 children videos that included text. Method Children's attention to the video was measured using eye-tracking, and their recognition of orthographic patterns within the video was tested after viewing. Results During viewing, children attended to the text 6% of the time it was available. However, children who both had pre-existing letter knowledge and attended to the text in the video were able to identify the written words. Sample 2: A second study extended these findings to a younger age group (n = 59). Method: In Study 2, we also showed children an unrelated storybook that incorporated the target words from the videos and measured attention to that storybook. Results: Results again showed little attention to text, but some recognition of written words for those who did attend. Study 2 also showed that children who recognized the written words from the video attended more to those words in a different context. Conclusion: Overall results suggest a relationship between letter knowledge, attention and developing orthographic knowledge.