Word Learning in Very Young Children From Infant-Directed DVDs

This study examined if babies (6-24 months; n = 60) learn words from a DVD modeled on Baby Einstein (TM). The study was novel in that it utilized an infant-directed DVD, but was edited to include low-frequency words (e.g., medallion) and it utilized the preferential looking method in the posttest so that very young babies could be tested. Results suggested that babies could learn the novel words in the live condition; however, they did not appear to learn them in the video condition. Furthermore, there was no age effect in the video condition. Finally, there was no relationship between visual attention to the video and learning from it. Thus, high attention did not necessarily result in learning.