• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: Dialogue with a conversational agent promotes children’s story comprehension via enhancing engagement
  • Contributor: Xu, Ying; Aubele, Joseph; Vigil, Valery; Bustamante, Andres S.; Kim, Young‐Suk; Warschauer, Mark
  • imprint: Wiley, 2022
  • Published in: Child Development
  • Language: English
  • DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13708
  • ISSN: 1467-8624; 0009-3920
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Dialogic reading, when children are read a storybook and engaged in relevant conversation, is a powerful strategy for fostering language development. With the development of artificial intelligence, conversational agents can engage children in elements of dialogic reading. This study examined whether a conversational agent can improve children's story comprehension and engagement, as compared to an adult reading partner. Using a 2 (dialogic reading or non‐dialogic reading) × 2 (agent or human) factorial design, a total of 117 three‐ to six‐year‐olds (50% Female, 37% White, 31% Asian, 21% multi‐ethnic) were randomly assigned into one of the four conditions. Results revealed that a conversational agent can replicate the benefits of dialogic reading with a human partner by enhancing children's narrative‐relevant vocalizations, reducing irrelevant vocalizations, and improving story comprehension.</jats:p>