Understanding the Why: Parent Beliefs About Mobile Devices for Infants and Toddlers

Michaela B. Wooldridge, PhDJanuary 27, 2018 The Early Years Conference, Vancouver, B.C.

An Ecology of Technology: Infants, Toddlers and Mobile Screen Devices(2016, Wooldridge, M.)

Why do parents give their MSD to their child?

• occupy / distract• videochat• teach• calm• develop fine motor• sleep aid• therapy activities• other

occupy videochat

occupy

calm occupy

General Attitudes About Technology for Young Children

Negative Beliefs• Too young• Prefer ‘real’ activities• Unnecessary• Developmental Harm• Affordability• Family Policy

Positive Beliefs• Parent benefit• Peer inclusion• Learning tool• Communication

device• Digital literacy

Appropriate age for child’s own MSD: 10 years [SD 3.3]

79% no

89% no

64% no

82% no

61% yes

50% yes

Negative Reasons Positive ReasonsAge, inferior to real MSD, fear dependency, limited value, parent dislike, family policy

Parent utility, learning tool, fun

Beliefs about Child Digital Products

Good for child?

Would you buy?

Beliefs About Technology for Young Children

If your child has an MSD, what

are the reasons?

Child Benefit Parent/Family Benefit

Beliefs About Technology for Young Children

Too Young “couldn’t operate a

device yet”

Family Organization

“we don’t believe in letting our child

watch screens”

Harmful“I don’t want a screen addict”

No Need“I can’t see

why she needs one”

Prefer 3D“we prefer books

& toys for real play”

If your child does not have an MSD, what

are the reasons?

Beliefs About Technology for Young Children

What benefits do you foresee for you child using MSDs?

Child Developme

nt

“hand-eye coordinatio

n” “I don’t

want him left out of his peer group”

Child Learning

“there are many

educational apps”

“school use—research and

word-processing”

Parent/ Family

“being able to

keep track of where

she is”“more mommy

alone time”

Why are Parent Beliefs Important?

• Cognitions (Sigel & McGillicuddy-DeLisi, 02; Sigel et al, 92)

• Dynamic (Bornstein, 02)

• Influence Child Development (Coleman & Karraker, 00; Grusec, 06)

• Direct Parent Behaviour (Dichtelmiller et al, 92; Grusec, 02; Miguel et al, 09; Murphey, 92; Sigel et al, 92)

• Reflect Zeitgeist (Murphey, 92)

Parent Beliefs about Screen Media

• Beliefs re TV predicts child TV viewing (Certain & Kahn, 02; Dalzell et al, 00; Jago et al, 10; Rideout & Hamel, 06)

• Parental attitudes re screen media linked to child media consumption across platforms (Cingel & Krcmar, 13; Lauricella et al, 15)

• Positive attitudes re media technology linked to earlier and greater child use (Vittrup et al, 16)

• Parental beliefs re mobile devices predicts parents providing mobile devices to infants & toddlers (Wooldridge, 16)

BeliefsOur interpretation of the world according to our observations and experiences=

2 components: emotional and logical

Starts like a theory- logic then supported by emotion- emotion then supported by logic

Empowering or disempowering- Power comes from the believer, not the material

Perception is awareness shaped by belief.

Beliefs “control” perception.

Rewrite beliefs and you rewrite perception.

Rewrite perception and you rewrite genes and behaviour….

- Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., cellular biologist

What About Perception?

Beliefs Shape Societal Attitudes

Chart3

Hard WorkHard WorkHard WorkHard WorkHard WorkHard Work

ResponsibilityResponsibilityResponsibilityResponsibilityResponsibilityResponsibility

Religious faithReligious faithReligious faithReligious faithReligious faithReligious faith

US male

US female

Canada male

Canada female

Norway male

Norway female

%

Qualities Children Should Learn at Home

55

42

40

30

8

5

69

73

72

78

88

92

51

56

38

33

12

17

Sheet1

Values, policies, well-being of young children in Canada, Norway, US. Shelley Phipps

Table 3.1aTable 3.4 Taxes & transfers received by families with children and selected sociodemogaphic characteristicsTable 3.6 Child OutcomesTable 3.3 Attitudes about qualities children should learn at home

Question: Why are there people in this country who live in need? Which of these reasons do you consider most important?Asthma (4-11)Injured (0-11)Activity Limitation (0-11)Anxious Fearful (4-11)Disobedient at School (6-11)Success at school (top category ages 10-11)USCanadaNorway

USCanadaNorwayUSCanadaNorwayUS10.73.531.620.737.1malefemalemalefemalemalefemale

malefemalemalefemalemalefemaleLone mother hh31.31632.4Canada13.210.23.836.117.845.8Good Manners777876747678

because they are unlucky8.177.888.59.1214.7214.43Mothers working outside home62.562.579Norway8.27.9211.2Independence475841468389

because of laziness and lack of will power40.1338.0334.6829.0414.727.39Single Mothers working outside home61.250.471.1Hard Work5542403085

Because there is injustice in our society30.5734.5730.3733.244.9852.75HH (all) receiving social transfers -56.192.299.7Responsibility697372788892

It's an inevitable part of modern progress18.2616.0722.6222.8122.0121.48HH (single mother) receiving social transfers9099.899.6Imagination272825212736

None of the above2.873.683.835.833.563.95Average social transfers (CAD 94)Tolerance Respect for others707480805969

Average social transfers (CAD 94) -lone mother hhThrift/value of money & things302722202321

USCanadaNorwayDetermination373438373530

Average social transfers All families364862227599Religious faith515638331217

Average social transfers among only hh who receive them650167487624Unselfishness36384341127

Average social transfers for all lone mother hh72491046511856Obedience383726313330

Average social transfers for lone mother hh who receive them80521048211906

Table 3.1a

Question: Why are there people in this country who live in need? Which of these reasons do you consider most important?

USCanadaNorway

malefemalemalefemalemalefemale

because they are unlucky8.177.888.59.1214.7214.43Table 3.3 Attitudes about qualities children should learn at home

because of laziness and lack of will power40.1338.0334.6829.0414.727.39

Because there is injustice in our society30.5734.5730.3733.244.9852.75USCanadaNorway

malefemalemalefemalemalefemale

Hard Work5542403085

Responsibility697372788892

Religious faith515638331217

Sheet1

US male

US female

Canada male

Canada female

Norway male

Norway female

% World Values Survey 1994

Attitudes for poverty (why are people in need in this country?)

Sheet2

Lone mother hh

Mothers working outside home

Single Mothers working outside home

HH (all) receiving social transfers -

HH (single mother) receiving social transfers

%

Taxes & Transfers Received By Familes with Children 0-11

Sheet3

Average social transfers All families

Average social transfers among only hh who receive them

Average social transfers for all lone mother hh

Average social transfers for lone mother hh who receive them

1994 Canadian Dollars

Average Social Transfers

US male

US female

Canada male

Canada female

Norway male

Norway female

%

Qualities Children Should Learn at Home

US male

US female

Canada male

Canada female

Norway male

Norway female

% World Values Survey 1994

Poverty Attitudes

US male

US female

Canada male

Canada female

Norway male

Norway female

%

Qualities Children Should Learn at Home

Why do we cling to our beliefs?

Cultural Cognition theory:

we shape our opinions to conform to the views of the groups with which we most strongly identify.

Our views & opinions help protect us and keep us safe.

As humans are social animals, we depend on our groups or tribes, literally for our survival. Our chances of survival go up when our group’s views prevail and our group accepts us.

(https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/cognition)

Why Is It So Hard to Change People’s Minds? Our opinions are often based in emotion and group affiliation, not facts. Here’s how to engage productively when things get heated. BY ELIZABETH SVOBODA | JUNE 27, 2017 Greater Good Magazine

Keeps us anchored in the world: when you think & behave in ways that separate you from members of your close community, you’re likely to experience at least some level of exclusion

Inertia: most people would rather deny or downplay new information than reshape their worldview to accommodate it

Deciding changes our evaluations: once a choice is made, we evaluate our decision more favourably and the other choices less favourably

Paradoxical effect: outward insistence inversely related to strength of conviction

…a vast amount of social science evidence that has shown that

facts, by themselves, are meaningless. They are ones and zeroes

to your mental computer, raw blank data that only take on meaning

when run through the software of your feelings. [Psychology Today, 2010]

People who feel good about

themselves are more likely to

be open-minded!

Understanding the Why: Parent Beliefs About Mobile Devices for Infants and Toddlers �An Ecology of Technology: Infants, Toddlers and Mobile Screen Devices (2016, Wooldridge, M.)General Attitudes About Technology for Young ChildrenSlide Number 4Beliefs About Technology for Young ChildrenBeliefs About Technology for Young ChildrenBeliefs About Technology for Young ChildrenWhy are Parent Beliefs Important?Parent Beliefs about Screen Media� BeliefsSlide Number 11Slide Number 12Slide Number 13Slide Number 14Slide Number 15Why do we cling to our beliefs?Slide Number 17Slide Number 18