Heather L Kirkorian

Biographic Data

ID5762589
NAMEHeather L Kirkorian
GIVEN NAMESHeather L
FAMILY NAMEKirkorian
SIGNATUREKIRKORIAN H L
AFFILIATIONSUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
VERIFIEDNo
TOTAL WORKS9
TOTAL CITATIONS5
WORKS AS AUTHOR9
WORKS AS EDITOR0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2008
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2022
H-INDEX2

  • The impact of touchscreen interactivity on U.S. toddlers’ selective attention and learning from digital media

    Heather Kirkorian, Heather L Kirkorian et al.ARTICLEJournal of Children and Media2022

    This study tested the extent to which the presence and relevance of interactive features influence toddlers’ visual attention and learning from videos. Two-year-olds (N = 88) watched an animated bear hide on video and then searched for a bear sticker on a corresponding felt board. To watch the bear hide, toddlers watched without touching the screen (non-interactive condition), touched a relevant part of the screen (the bear; relevant condition), …

  • Investigating Cumulative Exposures among 3- to 4-Year-Old Children Using Wearable Ultrafine Particle Sensors and Language Environment Devices

    Open AccessAmy Schultz, Amy A Schultz et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2020

    Interdisciplinary approaches are needed to measure the additive or multiplicative impacts of chemical and non-chemical stressors on child development outcomes. The lack of interdisciplinary approaches to environmental health and child development has led to a gap in the development of effective intervention strategies. It is hypothesized that a broader systems approach can support more effective interventions over time. To achieve these goals, de…

  • Drawing across media

    Open AccessHeather Kirkorian, Heather L Kirkorian et al.ARTICLEDevelopmental Psychology2020Cited by: 2References: 1

    Young children's growing access to touchscreen technology represents one of many contextual factors that may influence development. The focus of the current study was the impact of traditional versus electronic drawing materials on the quality of children's drawings during the preschool years. Young children (2-5 years, N = 73) and a comparison group of adults ( N = 24) copied shapes using three mediums: marker on paper, stylus on touchscreen tab…

  • Associations Between Toddlers' Naturalistic Media Experience and Observed Learning from Screens

    Open AccessHeather Kirkorian, Heather L Kirkorian et al.ARTICLEInfancy2017

    Using secondary analysis, researchers examined associations between two‐year‐olds' ( N = 135) naturalistic use of interactive and noninteractive media with performance on a screen‐based learning task. Parents reported the number of minutes that children spent the previous day doing nine media‐related activities (e.g., watching television, playing handheld videogames). The object‐retrieval task required children to watch a hiding event on video an…

  • Video Deficit in Toddlers’ Object Retrieval

    Open AccessHeather Kirkorian, Heather L Kirkorian et al.ARTICLEInfancy2016

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether toddlers exhibit different eye‐movement patterns when watching real events versus video demonstrations in an object‐retrieval task. Twenty‐four‐month‐olds ( N = 36) searched for a sticker on a felt board after watching an experimenter hide it behind a felt object in person or via video. Eye movements during the hiding event were recorded. Compared to those watching in‐person events, children watc…

  • The Effects of Background Television on the Quantity and Quality of Child-Directed Speech by Parents

    Tiffany A Pempek, Heather Kirkorian et al.ARTICLEJournal of Children and Media2014

    Prior research has identified negative effects of background television (TV) exposure on toddler toy play and parent–child interactions and has documented a negative association between early TV exposure and language development. It is hypothesized that background, adult-directed TV reduces the quantity and quality of parent language addressed to their young children. To test this hypothesis, the current study compared parent language directed at…

  • Video comprehensibility and attention in very young children

    Tiffany A Pempek, Heather Kirkorian et al.ARTICLEDevelopmental Psychology2010Cited by: 3References: 2

    Earlier research established that preschool children pay less attention to television that is sequentially or linguistically incomprehensible. The authors of this study determined the youngest age for which this effect can be found. One hundred and three 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month-olds' looking and heart rate were recorded while they watched Teletubbies, a television program designed for very young children. Experimenters manipulated comprehensib…

  • The Impact of Background Television on Parent–Child Interaction

    Open AccessHeather Kirkorian, Heather L Kirkorian et al.ARTICLEChild Development2009

    This study investigated the hypothesis that background television affects interactions between parents and very young children. Fifty-one 12-, 24-, and 36-month-old children, each accompanied by 1 parent, were observed for 1 hr of free play in a laboratory space resembling a family room. For half of the hour, an adult-directed television program played in the background on a monaural television set. During the other half hour, the television was …

  • The Effects of Background Television on the Toy Play Behavior of Very Young Children

    Open AccessMarie Schmidt, Marie Evans Schmidt et al.ARTICLEChild Development2008

    This experiment tests the hypothesis that background, adult television is a disruptive influence on very young children’s behavior. Fifty 12-, 24-, and 36-month-olds played with a variety of toys for 1 hr. For half of the hour, a game show played in the background on a monaural TV set. During the other half hour, the TV was off. The children looked at the TV for only a few seconds at a time and less than once per minute. Nevertheless, background …