Attention to Stimulus Presentation Mode as a Factor of Age

Summary

This study investigated attention to stimulus presentation mode by school age children as a function of age. Because of prior findings of differences in learning by children with stimuli in different modes (i. e., visual vs. auditory), it was hypothesized that attention might be the critical variable. Ss were 1083 students ages 7 through 17, approximately equal number of males and females. Each S viewed one of three versions of a specially designed sound motion picture film: two control conditions, auditory and visual, and one experimental condition containing conflicting auditory and visual stimuli. Attention was determined as a function of learning measured by a written test instrument completed by Ss after viewing the film. The highly significant results indicated that where a choice was available, auditory stimuli were attended at a greater rate (p < .001) than visual stimuli until age 11, and after a crossover from age 12 to 13, visual stimuli were attended at a greater rate (p < .001).