Books foster interaction rather than electronic toys – Reuters

December 29, 2015, 14:59 Washington, December 29 (PL) The books and puzzles encourage more verbal interaction between children and their parents that electronic toys says a new research means creating a better environment for language acquisition environment.

 According to the work of American scientists led by Anna V. Sosa, of the University of Northern Arizona, which published JAMA Pediatrics, electronic toys with lights and sounds associated with the use of a language of lower quality and richness of words compared with oral exchange of parents and children to share books and traditional toys, like a wooden puzzle.

According to scholars, toys that produce sound and light, yet still more striking, not enhance communication oral among children and their families as the case of books and classic traditional toys.

The researchers recorded the sounds of 26 pairs of parents and children between 10-16 months of age while playing . at home

Participants received three types of equipment: electronic (computer for babies, a farm with sounds and a mobile phone); Traditional (puzzle solid wood and rubber blocks with pictures); five board books with farm animals, shapes or colors.

While they played with electronic instruments, parents used less conversational turns, produced fewer answers and used fewer words to specific content when used books or puzzles.

The experts noted that children vocalized less while playing with electronic instruments when they did with books.

Also, parents used fewer words while using traditional elements while playing with books.

These results provide a basis to discourage the purchase of electronic toys, educational and announced as they are usually quite expensive.

In addition, add the large amount of evidence supporting the potential benefits of reading to very young children, the authors say.

Experts say be aware of the limitations of the work, as the small sample size and similarity of the participants by race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.

To Jenny S. Radesky, University of Michigan, and Dimitri A. Christakis, of Seattle Children’s Hospital, electronic toys with lights or produce noises attract the attention of children by activating the orienting reflex, which requires the mind to focus on new visual or auditory stimuli.

Radesky and Christakis say that during the conversation shifts besides serving game for kids to learn to speak, also fertile ground for the development of social skills such as respect for turns and the ideas of others; or the acquisition of roles during the game

mem / ABM.