Learning with multisensory cues throughout childhood
Lead Research Organisation:
Birkbeck, University of London
Department Name: Psychological Sciences
Abstract
Educational materials that combine sights and sounds appear stimulating and engaging to an adult educator, but may actually be confusing and overwhelming to a young learner. Our research program will identify when and where children have difficulty with multlimodal information, and help develop materials that are tailored to their cognitive and perceptual development.
Our world is noisy and distracting, filled with a multitude of sights and sounds; the television is on while we talk on the phone, there are street sounds as we navigate a map, and people talking to each other as we try to attend to a specific conversation. To walk into a toy shop is to be overwhelmed with sights, sounds, and even smells. Clearly, children are stimulated and excited by information from multiple sensory modalities. But what is best for their learning? Research from psychology has shown that adults learn better if they are given information in different sensory modalities at the same time. This fact has been used as the basis for many childhood educational programs in literacy and numeracy. But there has been no systematic investigation into whether children learn better from information presented in different sensory modalities. Or if, in fact, there are individual differences in this ability. To take advantage of multimodal stimuli a learner has to be able to pay attention to one thing and not another, and to switch attention when required. These sophisticated skills - inhibitory control, selective attention and cognitive flexibility - are developed slowly throughout the course of childhood, and some children develop slower than others. Our preliminary results show that, as a consequence, children can struggle to learn from multimodal information.
Our research will bring to light how multimodal learning approaches can be effectively used, given the age and the individual learning ability of the child. This will impact researchers, educators, parents, and toy designers alike.
Our world is noisy and distracting, filled with a multitude of sights and sounds; the television is on while we talk on the phone, there are street sounds as we navigate a map, and people talking to each other as we try to attend to a specific conversation. To walk into a toy shop is to be overwhelmed with sights, sounds, and even smells. Clearly, children are stimulated and excited by information from multiple sensory modalities. But what is best for their learning? Research from psychology has shown that adults learn better if they are given information in different sensory modalities at the same time. This fact has been used as the basis for many childhood educational programs in literacy and numeracy. But there has been no systematic investigation into whether children learn better from information presented in different sensory modalities. Or if, in fact, there are individual differences in this ability. To take advantage of multimodal stimuli a learner has to be able to pay attention to one thing and not another, and to switch attention when required. These sophisticated skills - inhibitory control, selective attention and cognitive flexibility - are developed slowly throughout the course of childhood, and some children develop slower than others. Our preliminary results show that, as a consequence, children can struggle to learn from multimodal information.
Our research will bring to light how multimodal learning approaches can be effectively used, given the age and the individual learning ability of the child. This will impact researchers, educators, parents, and toy designers alike.
Planned Impact
This project has direct academic and societal impact.
We have identified fours groups of people who will benefit from our research, and we have timescales in place that will allow for realisation of these benefits throughout the 36 months of the grant, and directly afterwards.
1. The general public: We aim to present our findings to parent groups, and the general public at public science lectures and organised school events. The PI (Kirkham) and the co-PI (Mareschal) have connections with several london schools, which will be provide outlets for dissemination.
2. Educators: Primary school teachers will benefit directly from this research; understanding both the general usefulness of multisensory approaches to learning and the individual differences in this usefulness will increase the potency of current teaching techniques.
3. Designers of educational toys or technologies: Given the growing educational toy industry, results pertaining to learning through different modalities will be of utmost interest to toy designers and researchers.
4. Academics in psychology and related fields: Our results will be of great benefit to researchers in educational, and
cognitive psychology who have studied children's ability to integrate across different modalities. In addition, this research will be of interest to child clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, when considering the potential benefits of multisensory approaches to children struggling with canonical learning techniques.
Our project aims to bring different research areas together. We will seek to make contact with these researchers by continuing to publish our results in prominent, cross discipline journals such as 'Psychological Science'. We also plan to promote our research at both general and discipline specific conferences.
We have identified fours groups of people who will benefit from our research, and we have timescales in place that will allow for realisation of these benefits throughout the 36 months of the grant, and directly afterwards.
1. The general public: We aim to present our findings to parent groups, and the general public at public science lectures and organised school events. The PI (Kirkham) and the co-PI (Mareschal) have connections with several london schools, which will be provide outlets for dissemination.
2. Educators: Primary school teachers will benefit directly from this research; understanding both the general usefulness of multisensory approaches to learning and the individual differences in this usefulness will increase the potency of current teaching techniques.
3. Designers of educational toys or technologies: Given the growing educational toy industry, results pertaining to learning through different modalities will be of utmost interest to toy designers and researchers.
4. Academics in psychology and related fields: Our results will be of great benefit to researchers in educational, and
cognitive psychology who have studied children's ability to integrate across different modalities. In addition, this research will be of interest to child clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, when considering the potential benefits of multisensory approaches to children struggling with canonical learning techniques.
Our project aims to bring different research areas together. We will seek to make contact with these researchers by continuing to publish our results in prominent, cross discipline journals such as 'Psychological Science'. We also plan to promote our research at both general and discipline specific conferences.
Publications
Broadbent H
(2019)
Touch and look: The role of visual-haptic cues for categorical learning in primary school children
in Infant and Child Development
Broadbent HJ
(2018)
Incidental learning in a multisensory environment across childhood.
in Developmental science
Broadbent HJ
(2018)
Incidental category learning and cognitive load in a multisensory environment across childhood.
in Developmental psychology
Broadbent HJ
(2019)
Withstanding the test of time: Multisensory cues improve the delayed retention of incidental learning.
in Developmental science
Kirkham NZ
(2019)
Do cues from multiple modalities support quicker learning in primary schoolchildren?
in Developmental psychology
Nardini M
(2015)
Integration of audio-visual information for spatial decisions in children and adults
in Developmental Science
Peng A
(2018)
Task switching costs in preschool children and adults.
in Journal of experimental child psychology
Peng A
(2018)
Information processes of task-switching and modality-shifting across development
in PLOS ONE
Description | We have finished collecting data for this grant. Data analysis has shown that multisensory information, while informative, has very different impacts across the primary school years. Younger children appear to benefit most from multisensory cues, whereas older children are more capable with unisensory cues. This is during tasks that explicitly require attention to both modalities. In incidental learning paradigms, where children are not focused on the multisensory cues, all children show benefits. |
Exploitation Route | We have begun to look at whether the usefulness of multisensory cues is down to the number of cues or the actual cross-modality of the cues. It would be useful to break this down and look at the different paramaeers. |
Sectors | Education Other |
Description | Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks: INTERLEARN: Individualised Interventions in Learning: Bridging Advanced Learning Science and 21st Century Technology. |
Amount | € 1,342,368 (EUR) |
Funding ID | 721895 |
Organisation | European Commission |
Sector | Public |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Start | 11/2016 |
End | 10/2020 |
Description | UnLoCKE: Understanding Learning of Counterintuitive Concepts through Knowledge Interference Control in Science and Mathematics Education |
Amount | £823,265 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 105466/Z/14/Z |
Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2014 |
End | 09/2021 |
Description | Science Learning |
Organisation | Leiden University |
Department | Institute of Psychology |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I am collaborating with Prof Maartje Raijmakers on a science learning paradigm, investigating science educational practices in primary school curricula |
Collaborator Contribution | Prof Raijmakers has provided access to NEMO (science centre in Amsterdam) |
Impact | a grant is in progress |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Theatre and Science |
Organisation | Theatre Centre |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | I have been working with Theatre Centre for 3 years now, providing empirical outcome data for theatre for children. I have interviewed children and worked through group workshops investigating 10-year-olds understanding of bullying/violence in the community, and gender. |
Collaborator Contribution | Theatre Centre empowers young leadership and youth activism through the arts, supporting and transforming children and young people to change the world by enriching their learning and leadership potential with theatre productions, creative projects and resources. |
Impact | Two plays: 1) What The Thunder Said (http://www.theatre-centre.co.uk/shows/2015/what-the-thunder-said/), and 2) Level Playing (http://www.theatre-centre.co.uk/education/2016/level-playing/) http://www.theatre-centre.co.uk/education/2012/silent-witnesses/ |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | BCCCD 2016 Conference (Cognitive Development Conference, Budapest) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A poster presentation at the annual conference of cognitive development in Budapest, Hungary. Many people came to look at the poster, and discussions ensued. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Babylab Newsletter |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Annual Babylab newsletter sent out to all participants on database who participate in research and to all new recruits (>4000 per year). Also sent to interested parties such as funders, clinicians, parent groups etc. This helps with recruitment of new participants, and disseminates results of studies in which families have participated. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016,2018 |
URL | http://www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/babylab/newsletter |
Description | British Psychological Society: Developmental conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Talk given to the BPS conference regarding data produced from the funded grant. A completed experiment was presented to the audience, which produced questions and discussion |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | https://www.bps.org.uk/events/conferences/developmental-section-and-social-section-annual-conference... |
Description | Internal Seminar (Birkbeck) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Dr, Hannah Broadbent, postdoc, presented her work from our multisensory project to our department |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Invited talk University of Uppsala, Sweden |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I was invited to speak about my recent research to the psychology department at the University of Uppsala. I spent a week there, meeting with scholars and researchers and discussing this funded work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Poster presentation (BPS conference, Belfast) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | poster presentation at the British Psychological Society: Developmental Section conference. At least 30 people stopped by and discussed the work |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | https://www.bps.org.uk/events/conferences/developmental-psychology-section-annual-conference |
Description | Poster session (BCCCD 2017) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | poster presentation at an international conference in Budapest. at least 50 people came by the poster. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.bcccd.org/ |
Description | School talks (multiple primary schools around London) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Our lab group has given assembly talks on "how the brain works" to both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 school children, across at least 10 schools in the past 2 years. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017 |
Description | School visit (London area) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | A talk given to local london schools who had participated in our research. One of our series of 'Brain Talks' given to primary school children |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Seminar at University of Amsterdam; Psychology Group |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk given presenting preliminary data led to many questions about the methods used and what the data may mean. Also, lead to the start of a possible collaboration in the way the data is analysed. After the talk academics at the university asked to look and model the data. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Seminar talk (Goldsmiths, University of London) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited seminar to discuss findings from our multisensory project. @ 40 students and faculty attended. A collaboration was formed. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Society for Research in Child Development, 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Approximately 75-100 people attended a seminar on multisensory integration and learning. There were four speakers from different labs and countries, and many discussions came from this. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | University College, London DTC Poster Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | ESRC Phd student (linked to this grant), Anna Peng, presented her work at a local poster conference. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | University de Bruxelles - seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | An invited seminar at the University of Brussels on research from our multisensory project |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | school visit (surrey) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | After giving a talk on brain development to a year 4 classroom, I spoke at a primary school inset day regarding the usefulness of multisensory approaches to education (the focus of the funded research) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | society for research in child development |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A talk presented at the bienniel international conference, Society for Research in Child Development. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.srcd.org |