Children’s future parasocial relationships with media characters: the age of intelligent characters

Brunick, Kaitlin L.; Putnam, Marisa M.; McGarry, Lauren; Richards, Melissa N.; Calvert, Sandra L.

doi:10.1080/17482798.2015.1127839

Cited by 55 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In the current studies, an intelligent character prototype was built using a popular children’s television character, Dora the Explorer , to determine if young children could learn the add‐1 rule from this kind of interface. The interface was not expected to fall prey to the uncanny valley, in which characters look somewhat creepy when straddling the divide between a real and an animated being (Brunick et al, ). This thesis was supported.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young Children’s Mathematical Learning From Intelligent Characters

et al. 2019

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Children’s math learning (N = 217; Mage = 4.87 years; 63% European American, 96% college‐educated families) from an intelligent character game was examined via social meaningfulness (parasocial relationships [PSRs]) and social contingency (parasocial interactions, e.g., math talk). In three studies (data collected in the DC area: 12/2015–10/2017), children’s parasocial relationships and math talk with the intelligent character predicted quicker, more accurate math responses during virtual game play. Children performed better on a math transfer task with physical objects when exposed to an embodied character (Study 2), and when the character used socially contingent replies, which was mediated by math talk (Study 3). Results suggest that children’s parasocial relationships and parasocial interactions with intelligent characters provide new frontiers for 21st century learning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young Children’s Mathematical Learning From Intelligent Characters

et al. 2019

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“…The emerging research on parasocial relationships and children's early STEM learning indicates that certain characters can serve as effective social partners (see Richert, Robb, & Smith, ) and a potential resource of trusted “teachers” that traverse home and school settings (see Brunick, Putnam, McGarry, Richards, & Calvert, ), and different media platforms (Richards & Calvert, ). At present, these kinds of emotional relationships with media characters, including those found in interactive games, have untapped potential as sources of learning for children during early through middle childhood.…”

Section: Media Use Among Young Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Games as a Context for Children's Cognitive Development: Research Recommendations and Policy Considerations

Blumberg

Deater‐Deckard

Calvert

et al. 2019

Social Policy Report

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We document the need to examine digital game play and app use as a context for cognitive development, particularly during middle childhood. We highlight this developmental period as 6‐ through 12‐year olds comprise a large swath of the preadult population that plays and uses these media forms. Surprisingly, this age range remains understudied with regard to the impact of their interactive media use as compared to young children and adolescents. This gap in knowledge about middle childhood may reflect strong and widely held concerns about the effects of digital games and apps before and after this period. These concerns include concurrent and subsequent influences of game use on very young children's and adolescents’ cognitive and socioemotional functioning. We highlight here what is currently known about the impact of media on young children and adolescents and what is not known about this impact in middle childhood. We then offer recommendations for the types of research that developmental scientists can undertake to examine the efficacy of digital games within the rapidly changing media ecology in which children live. We conclude with a discussion of media policies that we believe can help children benefit from their media use. Our hope is that this review will foster greater investigation of the cognitive socialization, as raised over 20 years ago by developmental psychologist and early games researcher Patricia Greenfield, that digital games serve during the middle childhood period, and childhood more generally.

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“…Older children might see cartoons (especially those targeted to early age audiences) as a type of media aimed at "babies". Therefore, parasocial relationships with cartoon characters might weaken at a certain age when children stop watching their favorite animated characters [34].…”

Section: Moderating Effects Of Children's Agesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dora the Explorer and fruits, SpongeBob SquarePants and hamburgers (Krabby Patty) or Michelangelo (from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and pizzas are some of the long line of examples of cartoon characters associated with specific food placements. Each day, children watch the cartoons they are interested in (provided that parents agree, and cartoons are available for watching), and each day, children develop parasocial relationships with cartoon characters [34].…”

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confidence: 99%

Investigating the Effects of Non-Branded Foods Placed in Cartoons on Children’s Food Choices through Type of Food, Modality and Age

Villegas-Navas

Montero-Simó

Padilla

2019

IJERPH

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Cartoons are among the most consumed media products by children, especially those at a young age. While branded food placements are not allowed in animated series, non-branded food placements are prevalent. However, little is known about the effects that these food placements might have on children’s eating preferences. In an experimental study with 124 children (51.6% girls, age range: 7–11, Mage = 9.24, and SD = 1.19), 62 children in the experimental condition were exposed to 16 food placements in cartoons, whereas children in the control condition were exposed to cartoon scenes without foods. The healthiness of the placed foods (low nutritional value foods versus high nutritional value foods) as well as the modality of food placements (unimodal versus bimodal) were manipulated. After watching the cartoon scenes, children completed a choice task where each placed food appeared on a separate choice card. Our results indicate that non-branded low nutritional value foods placed in cartoons are an effective strategy in modifying children’s food choices when children are under age 9. We suggest that policy makers, particularly those involved in the content design of cartoons, take these results into account when placing low nutritional value foods in cartoons, especially for an animated series that targets young child audiences.

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Children’s future parasocial relationships with media characters: the age of intelligent characters

Cited by 55 publications

References 23 publications

Young Children’s Mathematical Learning From Intelligent Characters

Young Children’s Mathematical Learning From Intelligent Characters

Digital Games as a Context for Children's Cognitive Development: Research Recommendations and Policy Considerations

Investigating the Effects of Non-Branded Foods Placed in Cartoons on Children’s Food Choices through Type of Food, Modality and Age

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