The Role of Individual Differences in Cognitive Skills in Children’s Learning Through Film
Abstract
This study examines the role of individual differences in cognitive skills in children’s learning through educational films. A total of 40 children, half of them aged 6, the other half 8, were shown a film about sugar production. After one week, the children took part in a memory test on the film’s content with free recall, cued recall, and recognition. In a second session, four working memory and attention tasks were administered. Results reveal that individual differences in domain-specific working memory skills account for substantial variance in the learning outcome, whereas children’s age was no significant predictor. Findings are discussed in terms of cognitive processes underlying learning through films.
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