Receptive versus interactive video screens: A role for the brain's default mode network in learning from media

What do users care about? Research on user behavior of mobile interactive video advertising

Mobile interactive video advertising is a relatively new type of media. A combination of interactivity and narrative is used to tell the video story to the audience. This study studied in three steps on mobile interactive video advertising to determine the design basis that should be paid attention to. Firstly, the research framework is proposed through expert interview and qualitative coding of the interview text. Secondly, research samples are made through surveys and conference discussions. The samples were designed into 30 types containing various interactive narrative and involvement. Finally, the qualitative results are verified in a quantitative way. The results show that in order to improve the audience's purchase intention, more attention should be paid to interactive narrative, subjective video quality assessment, immersion, satisfaction, and product involvement.

Viewing Fantastical Events in Animated Television Shows: Immediate Effects on Chinese Preschoolers' Executive Function

Three experiments were conducted to test whether watching an animated show with frequent fantastical events decreased Chinese preschoolers’ post-viewing executive function (EF), and to test possible mechanisms of this effect. In all three experiments, children were randomly assigned to watch a video with either frequent or infrequent fantastical events; their EF was immediately assessed after viewing, using behavioral measures of working memory, sustained attention, and cognitive flexibility. Parents completed a questionnaire to assess preschoolers’ hyperactivity level as a potential confounding variable. In Experiment 1 (N = 90), which also included a control group, there was an immediate negative effect of watching frequent fantastical events, as seen in lower scores on the behavioral EF tasks. In Experiment 2 (N = 20), eye tracking data showed more but shorter eye fixations in the high frequency group, suggesting a higher demand on cognitive resources; this group also did more poorly on behavioral measures of EF. In Experiment 3 (N = 20), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data showed that the high frequency group had a higher concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (Coxy-Hb), an indicator of higher brain activation consistent with a greater use of cognitive resources; this group also had lower scores on the behavioral EF tasks. The findings are discussed in reference to models of limited cognitive resources.

Preschoolers’ STEM Learning on a Haptic Enabled Tablet

The research on children’s learning of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topics from electronic applications (apps) is limited, though it appears that children can reasonably transfer learning from tablet games to particular tasks. We were interested to determine whether these findings would translate to the emerging technology of haptic feedback tablets. The research on haptic feedback technology, specifically, has found that this type of feedback is effective in teaching physics concepts to older students. However, haptic feedback has not yet been sufficiently explored with younger groups (e.g., preschoolers). To determine the effect of playing a STEM game enhanced with haptic technology on learning outcomes, we designed an experiment where preschool participants were randomly exposed to one of three different conditions: (a) STEM game with no haptic feedback (tablet), (b) STEM game enabled with haptic feedback (haptics), or (c) a puzzle game (control). Results revealed no significant differences in comprehension or transfer by condition. Results from this study contribute to the literature on the effectiveness of haptic feedback for preschool STEM learning.