Daily television exposure, parent conversation during shared television viewing and socioeconomic status: Associations with curiosity at kindergarten

Abstract

Objective To examine the main and interactive effects of the amount of daily television exposure and frequency of parent conversation during shared television viewing on parent ratings of curiosity at kindergarten, and to test for moderation by socioeconomic status (SES). Study design Sample included 5100 children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort. Hours of daily television exposure and frequency of parent screen-time conversation were assessed from a parent interview at preschool, and the outcome of early childhood curiosity was derived from a child behavior questionnaire at kindergarten. Multivariate linear regression examined the main and interactive effects of television exposure and parent screen-time conversation on kindergarten curiosity and tested for moderation by SES. Results In adjusted models, greater number of hours of daily television viewing at preschool was associated with lower curiosity at kindergarten (B = -0.14, p = .008). More frequent parent conversation during shared screen-time was associated with higher parent-reported curiosity at kindergarten with evidence of moderation by SES. The magnitude of association between frequency of parent conversation during television viewing and curiosity was greater for children from low SES environments, compared to children from high SES environments: (SES ≤ median): B = 0.29, p < .001; (SES > median): B = 0.11, p < .001. Conclusions Higher curiosity at kindergarten was associated with greater frequency of parent conversation during shared television viewing, with a greater magnitude of association in low-SES families. While the study could not include measures of television program content, digital media use and non-screen time conversation, our results suggest the importance of parent conversation to promote early childhood curiosity, especially for children with socioeconomic disadvantage.

Variability and patterns in children's media use and links with language development

“…MLU value. 21,22 Critically, other evidence shows caregiver engagement is closely tied to SES and race, 23 which ought to be further examined.…”

The relationships between screen exposure, parent-child interactions and comprehension in 8-month-old infants: The mediating role of shared viewing and parent-child conversation

“…Although many parents are aware of the recommendations, adherence varies widely in actual parental behavior [ 32 ]. Given the large number of children prematurely exposed to electronic screen devices, parent-child conversation during shared viewing may play a protective role in language development of screen-exposed children [ 25 , 26 , 33 , 44 ].…”

“…Therefore, it remains to be further explored whether shared viewing and parent-child conversation during shared viewing (Referencing Shah et al’s research, the present study defines parent-child conversation during the shared viewing as parent-child conversation [ 26 ]) will have an impact on infants’ comprehension development.…”

Ecological contexts associated with early childhood curiosity: Neighborhood safety, home and parenting quality, and socioeconomic status

“…We theorize that these same "built environments, " especially in disadvantaged communities, can foster early childhood curiosity by creating interactive opportunities to engage in conversational exchanges that are dotted with questions (Gaudreau et al, 2021). Our previous research found an association between more frequent parent conversation (during share television viewing) and higher kindergarten curiosity, with a greater magnitude of association in children from low-SES families (Shah et al, 2021). Research from Playful Learning Landscapes including Urban Thinkscape and other projects like Parkopolis (Bustamante et al, 2020); a life-sized human board game) and Fractionball (Bustamante et al, 2022); a recrafted basketball court designed to promote fraction talk) demonstrate that transforming neighborhood spaces into areas which prioritize caregiver-child interactions, facilitate language-learning opportunities which are promotive of school 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.986221 readiness and question asking-a behavior associated with curiosity.…”

“…A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assure reliability and to calculate the appropriate loading values for deriving our curiosity factor. Standardized scoring of the curiosity factor was conducted, and good internal consistency was demonstrated (α = 0.70, M = 0.07, SD = 1.2) (Shah et al, 2021).…”