The Effects of Presented Media Types on Spatial Cognition Task Performance in Preschool Children

As the use of digital media is becoming more universal and is being used in early-childhood education, understanding the effects of digital media on development is required. The purpose of this study was to examine whether child performance on a spatial cognition task depends on the type of media used to present the task and if the effect of media type is different depending on child's age and sex. To do this, a spatial cognition task set (consisting of direction, rotation, symmetry, conjugation, and part/whole tasks) was prepared, and these tasks were presented to 60 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children using paper- and tablet-based measures. Our results showed that the correct answer rate of task performance differed significantly when completing the task on a tablet than when completing the task on paper. Generally, response times when completing the tasks on a tablet was significantly shorter than when completing the tasks on paper. Although there was no interaction between the type of media and age, and partial interaction was found between the type of media and sex. This result implies an influence of digital stimulation on child performance on the spatial cognitive task. This study provides a basic understanding for follow-up studies to examine the consequences of exposure to digital stimulation.