Every Trick in the Book: Children Simultaneously Learn Multiple Dimensions of Information During Shared Book Reading

Abstract

Picture books inherently contain many parallel dimensions of information and serve as rich sources of input for children. However, studies of children’s learning from picture books tend to focus on a single type of information (e.g., novel words). To better understand the learning-related potential of shared book reading, we examined 4.5- to 5.5-year-old children’s simultaneous learning of novel words, moral lessons, and story details from a reading interaction with a parent. Results showed that children successfully learned new words, extracted a moral lesson, and recalled story details from the picture book, and children with larger vocabularies were generally more effective in doing so. Contrary to expectations, children’s learning was equally strong regardless of parents’ lab-induced beliefs about the purpose of book reading. Additionally, this is the first demonstration of successful moral learning from shared reading with preschool children. This research demonstrates children’s ability to learn diverse information presented across different time scales in picture books.