Infant Word Learning From Commercially Available Video In The US.

Based on the assumption that commercial screen media offers no advantages to children under 2, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no exposure for them. However, few experimental tests of this assumption have been conducted. Utilizing a randomized controlled design, we examined vocabulary development in children ages 8 to 15 months. Experimental group infants were exposed to Baby Einstein's Baby Wordsworth DVD for 1 month, with vocabulary assessed at baseline, and at 1 and 3 months after viewing. Results indicated that the experimental group showed greater gains in receptive (understood) words on the CDI (β = .10, p < .01) and on DVD specific words (β = .11, p < .01), compared to controls, who were not exposed to the video. There were no differences between the groups in expressive (spoken) vocabulary. Results are discussed in the context of current and ongoing research on infant and toddler word learning from video. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]