Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05443438

Where's the Wif? Referent Selection and Retention

The goal of this work is to address increasing concerns about young children's digital media exposure and language outcomes by testing how the times course of word learning unfolds in digital environments and the cascading impact of digital media on vocabulary outcomes. The findings will have important implications for understanding when and where optimal word learning from media can occur.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Healthy

Age range

17 month–30 month

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Oklahoma State University

Stillwater, Oklahoma, 74078, United States

About this study

The goal of the current proposal is to identify how digital media alters the mechanisms of word learning and subsequently impacts the lexical foundation on which a child's vocabulary is built. Specifically, the proposal aims to identify the impact of digital media on 1) the processes underlying real-time word learning, and 2) the processes of language generalization and vocabulary growth. Specific Aim 1 will use a novel word learning task to test children's ability to map and retain new words within and between digital media (2D images on a tablet) and real world objects (3D objects). Specific Aim 2 will probe children's novel label generalization abilities within and between 2D and 3D modalities using a novel noun generalization task. Further, individual differences in a child's prior technology experience will be measured and used to predict overall vocabulary as well as performance within and between each task. This Clinical Trial record is focused on Specific Aim 1.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • between 18 and 30 months old

Exclusion criteria

  • diagnosed developmental delay or disorder
  • exposure to more than 25% of another language

Treatment and study plan

Modality - 3D-2D

Behavioral

Modality in which items will be presented (via tablet/digital media or as real object). 3D items initially and generalization as 2D

Other names: digital media modality

Modality - 2D-3D

Behavioral

Modality in which items will be presented (via tablet/digital media or as real object). 2D items initially and generalization as 3D

Other names: digital media modality

Modality - 2D-2D

Behavioral

Modality in which items will be presented (via tablet/digital media or as real object). 2D items initially and retention/generalization as 2D

Other names: digital media modality

Primary outcomes

  1. Accuracy on Referent Selection

    Time frame: 1 minute

    Children's choices on each trial of the task will be measured. Correct responses are those to the target (prompted) item - for referent selection, this is the item asked for in the prompt (e.g. shoe, dog)

  2. Accuracy on Retention

    Time frame: 5 minutes

    Children's choices on each trial of the task will be measured. Correct responses are those to the target (prompted) item - for retention, this is the item asked for in the prompt which are the correct word-object pairing for novel items previously introduced.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Oklahoma State University

Other

Collaborators

  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Registry information

Official study title

Technological Timescales: Identifying the Impact of Digital Media on the Mechanisms of Word Learning. Aim 1: Where's the Wif? Referent Selection and Retention

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jul 5, 2022
Registry last updated
May 14, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.