Binghamton Research Days Student Presentations
Experimental Group Differences in Children’s Bracing Ability
Experimental Group Differences in Children’s Bracing Ability
Samantha Cintron (Senior, Psychology); Sophie Criss (Junior, Integrative Neuroscience); Kara Gately (Junior, Psychology); Sophia Geisser (Senior, Integrative Neuroscience and Theatre Dance); Zoe Geisser (Sophomore, Psychology and Theatre Dance); Samantha Herlands (Senior, Psychology); Ariel Kachuro (Senior, Psychology and Biological Sciences); Vanessa Uhteg (First-year, Psychology); Kimberley Williams (Senior, Psychology); Danielle Wolfe (Senior, Psychology)
Samantha Cintron (Senior, Psychology); Sophie Criss (Junior, Integrative Neuroscience); Kara Gately (Junior, Psychology); Sophia Geisser (Senior, Integrative Neuroscience and Theatre Dance); Zoe Geisser (Sophomore, Psychology and Theatre Dance); Samantha Herlands (Senior, Psychology); Ariel Kachuro (Senior, Psychology and Biological Sciences); Vanessa Uhteg (First-year, Psychology); Kimberley Williams (Senior, Psychology); Danielle Wolfe (Senior, Psychology)
Mentor: Erin Jant, Psychology
Mentor: Erin Jant, Psychology
Abstract
Vygotsky’s (1966) research on the relationship between play and development maintains that children’s social play activities have a direct impact on their development of cognitive processes. Previous studies conducted on children’s learning in informal education settings, such as museum exhibits, suggest that parent-child conversations play a crucial role in the children’s development and application of scientific thinking skills in situations where they encounter and attempt to make sense of unfamiliar stimuli. In this study, we examined STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning in children from sixty-eight families (M age= 5.5 years). This study focused on engineering learning, because it combines science and math in a way that is approachable and engaging for young children. First, children were asked to fix a wobbly structure (skyscraper or bridge) with parents; second, they were asked to fix the remaining wobbly structure (skyscraper or bridge) independently. To examine the impact that transfer of learning may have on successful task completion the participants were separated into two different conditions: the demonstration condition, where families were taught the core engineering concepts needed to successfully fix a wobbly structure prior to the building task, and the control condition, which did not receive a demonstration prior to the task. Parents were given a questionnaire on children’s play interests in different areas (ex: puzzles, construction play, games, music, art, pretend play), and reported both their children’s and their own ranking of prior knowledge and interest in construction activities. We hypothesize that families who reported high rankings of interest and knowledge of building prior to the experiment will have higher rates of successful task completion. We predict a positive correlation between children’s play interest in STEM-related areas such as puzzles, games, and construction play and their performance on the building task.
Abstract
Vygotsky’s (1966) research on the relationship between play and development maintains that children’s social play activities have a direct impact on their development of cognitive processes. Previous studies conducted on children’s learning in informal education settings, such as museum exhibits, suggest that parent-child conversations play a crucial role in the children’s development and application of scientific thinking skills in situations where they encounter and attempt to make sense of unfamiliar stimuli. In this study, we examined STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning in children from sixty-eight families (M age= 5.5 years). This study focused on engineering learning, because it combines science and math in a way that is approachable and engaging for young children. First, children were asked to fix a wobbly structure (skyscraper or bridge) with parents; second, they were asked to fix the remaining wobbly structure (skyscraper or bridge) independently. To examine the impact that transfer of learning may have on successful task completion the participants were separated into two different conditions: the demonstration condition, where families were taught the core engineering concepts needed to successfully fix a wobbly structure prior to the building task, and the control condition, which did not receive a demonstration prior to the task. Parents were given a questionnaire on children’s play interests in different areas (ex: puzzles, construction play, games, music, art, pretend play), and reported both their children’s and their own ranking of prior knowledge and interest in construction activities. We hypothesize that families who reported high rankings of interest and knowledge of building prior to the experiment will have higher rates of successful task completion. We predict a positive correlation between children’s play interest in STEM-related areas such as puzzles, games, and construction play and their performance on the building task.