csi undergraduate conference on research, scholarship ... - CSI Today

Research Poster PresentationsP O S T E R 2 1An Investigation of the Effects ofSocialization of LanguageAcquisition within InfancyNicholas Dalonzo, Kristin Lenzo, AllysonPawloskFaculty Mentor: Professor Naomi AldrichDepartment of PsychologyLanguage acquisition in infancy has long been aconfounding topic in the field of linguistics.Experts have hypothesized that several factors maycontribute to word acquisition and association. Thepresent study explored four main causal factorsthat have been associated with promoting theonset of language development in infancy:mother/child interaction, sibling relationships,media exposure, and schooling enrollment andenvironment. Specifically, we examined infants’(6- to 14-months) behavior with respect tolanguage development and the social interactionsthat promoted these behaviors. Twenty-five parentslocated in New York City were administered adetailed questionnaire about their infants, assessingwhether different forms of socialization have asignificant impact on language acquisition.Questionnaires were divided into sections based onthe aforementioned subtopics: mother-childinteraction, day care interaction, sibling interaction,and media interaction. We used a correlationaldesign for our survey results. Results established arelationship between both the age of initiallanguage development and the four categories ofsocialization. Based on our findings, we concludedthat external factors lead to language development.We found there to be a strong relationship betweenexposure to socialization and the development oflanguage in infancy.P O S T E R 2 3An Investigation of the Impact ofChildren's Programming onDeveloping Gender RolesJennifer Carrion, AlyssaFazio,Jacqueline Imbemba, Kayla MeraFaculty Mentor: Professor Naomi AldrichDepartment of PsychologyThe present study examined the impact ofchildren’s television programming on developinggender roles. Research suggests that as children arebecoming aware of their gender, they begin toshape their behavior and personality according torole models of the same sex (Luecke-Aleksa et al.,1995). Research has shown that children’s selectionof television programs is gender-based as well: boystend to watch male-oriented television shows,whereas girls tend to watch female-orientedtelevision programming. In doing so, researchershave found that children who are exposed togender stereotypes on television are more likely toendorse gender stereotypes and act in a genderstereotyped manner (Aubrey & Harrison, 2004). Inan effort to assess the gender-stereotyped contentof children’s television programming, the currentstudy examined the content of two shows that varyaccording to gender orientation: Go, Diego, Go!(male-oriented) and Dora the Explorer (femaleoriented).The episodes were selected based onsimilar thematic focus and equal running times. Toevaluate the stereotypical content within theepisodes, 22 research assistants coded the colorscheme of the characters’ clothing and accessories,the gender of the characters (giving assistance andreceiving assistance), the use of singing andlaughter to express emotions, and the color schemeof the environment. Analyses revealed differencesbetween the episodes that are consistent with thegender –stereotypical content identified in theliterature. Overall, the results indicate that thecontent of Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!promote gender stereotypes that could potentiallyaffect children’s gender role development.38