This 5-year research proposal lays out a set of studies that will be conducted across 3 sites (UC-Riverside, Northwestern University, and Georgetown University) with 18 month old to 6 year old children to explore how the relationships that children form with fictional characters (called parasocial) in DVDs and other digital media utilizing intelligent agents influence their learning of STEM concepts. The studies, though all focused on social attachment with media figures, use different measures and different stimuli: some assess children's perceptions of known media characters, while others introduce novel artifacts such as interactional toys. Little is known about how children's relationships with characters traverse different media platforms and whether similar learning principles apply in different media environments. In this research, the collaborative group of investigators brings the developmental and communication research areas into contact with the work in the learning sciences in a series of studies examining the formation and impact of parasocial relationships with characters in the toddler and preschool years.
This project addresses children's social experiences with characters on TV, DVDs, or as intelligent on-line agents (called avatars), and how these experiences can support STEM learning. Young children form strong relationships with their favorite characters. These characters can be used as positive role models for children and also have the potential to provide continuity for children as they are exposed to math and science in different environments (e.g., home, school). The guidelines and principles derived from this work should help policy makers, educators, and companies make better use of the media characters that pervade the daily experiences of children to improve STEM education.
