(Broadcast media note: Vanderbilt has a campus broadcast facility with a dedicated fiber optic line for live TV interviews and a radio ISDN line. Call (615) 322-2706, a 24/7 number, to schedule all interviews).
A new DVD series for toddlers, “Sesame Beginnings,” released this week by the “Sesame Street” franchise has stirred continuing controversy about whether children under 2 should watch television. Vanderbilt child development expert Georgene Troseth has found that it’s parental interaction—not videos—that helps very young children learn.
“My research indicates that toddlers learn best in social interaction with real people, not from television. ‘Sesame Beginnings’ encourages and models good social interaction,” Troseth said. “If parents feel the need to buy videos for their infants and toddlers, they may enjoy viewing this DVD series with them. But what babies and toddlers really need they get best from playing and interacting with their parents and siblings.”
Troseth provided input to Sesame Workshop on the infant DVD series. She is an assistant professor of psychology at Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development investigator. Her articles on this subject include “TV Guide: 2-year-olds learn to use video as a source of information and “Getting a clearer picture: Young children’s understanding of a televised image.”
For more Vanderbilt news visit VUCast, Vanderbilt’s online news network, at www.vanderbilt.edu/news.
Media contact: Melanie Moran, (615) 322-2706
melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu