The Effects of Distraction on Cognitive Task Performance During Toddlerhood

Abstract

We investigated the effects of distraction on attention and task performance during toddlerhood. Thirty toddlers (24‐ to 26‐month‐olds) completed different tasks (2 of each: categorization, problem solving, memory, free play) in one of two conditions: No Distraction or Distraction. The results revealed that the distractor had varying effects on performance scores depending on the task: The problem solving and memory tasks were more susceptible to distraction. In addition, the two conditions showed different patterns of attention over time. Toddlers in the No Distraction condition were more attentive, and their attention remained consistently high across the session. Toddlers in the Distraction condition increased their attention to the task and decreased their attention to the distractor in the second half of the session. This study demonstrates how the presence of distraction influences toddlers’ performance on individual cognitive tasks and contributes to our understanding of distractibility and endogenous attention during toddlerhood. This work also has implications for how environmental noise, such as background television, may influence cognitive development.

Selective attention to lesson‐relevant contextual information promotes 3‐ to 5‐year‐old children's learning

“…These findings add to a growing body of work suggesting that the presence of contextual information is not always detrimental for learning. Many studies have shown that the presence of task‐irrelevant information can disrupt children's cognitive task performance (e.g., Dixon et al., 2012; Kannass & Colombo, 2007; Wyss et al., 2013) and learning in educational settings (e.g., Fisher et al., 2014; Hanley et al., 2017). These past findings have been interpreted as evidence that the presence of contextual information in learning environments can hinder learning by distracting from primary lesson materials.…”

“…Selective attention skills develop gradually over childhood (Fisher, 2019;Oakes & Amso, 2018), and age-related improvements in selective attention predict enhanced memory for target objects (Deng & Sloutsky, 2016;Hagen & Hale, 1973;Plebanek & Sloutsky, 2017). Conversely, the presence of competing contextual information can interfere with children's performance on learning, memory, and problem-solving tasks Dixon et al, , 2012Kannass & Colombo, 2007;Wyss et al, 2013) and disrupt learning in educational settings. Fisher et al (2014) taught science lessons to kindergarten students in either an undecorated classroom or a highly decorated classroom that contained competing visual stimuli.…”

“…For example, in addition to primary lesson materials, classrooms contain surrounding contextual elements (e.g., decorations, visual aids) that are intended to generate a stimulating learning environment (Tarr, 2004). The presence of task‐irrelevant information can hinder children's learning in laboratory and educational settings, particularly for those with poorer attention skills who have more difficulty ignoring these distractions (e.g., Dixon et al., 2012; Fisher et al., 2014; Hanley et al., 2017; Kannass & Colombo, 2007; Wyss et al., 2013). However, attending to contextual information that is related to task goals can also benefit learning (Ackerman, 1990; Amer et al., 2016).…”

Learning on hold: Cell phones sidetrack parent-child interactions.

“…The sound effects and other auxiliary components of electronic books may interfere with children’s attention, thereby disrupting their story comprehension. The literature on distractions suggests children’s learning is hampered when attention is coopted by sporadic TV broadcasting (Wyss, Kannass, & Haden, 2012) or overwhelming visual displays in classrooms (Fisher, Godwin, & Seltman, 2014). This study adds to that burgeoning literature.…”

“…Given that the social nature of language development occurs within the dyad (Tomasello, 2008), the present study examines this question within the dyadic flow of a conversation. Although this line of inquiry has its roots in the distraction literature, the experimental manipulations used in previous studies disrupted individual children rather than dyadic interactions (Dixon et al, 2012; Newman, 2011; Wyss, Kannass, & Haden, 2012). For example, Dixon and Salley (2010) utilized interruptions in their investigation of environmental distractions during a novel word learning task and found that word learning was impaired relative to baseline performance.…”