Marcela Peña

Marcela Peña

Cargo: Directora alterna y científica

Especialidad: Neurociencias cognitivas del desarrollo, desarrollo cognitivo temprano, adquisición del lenguaje, cognición social y razonamiento, modelamiento del desarrollo cognitivo temprano.
Marcela es Médico pediatra de la Universidad de Chile. Tiene  un doctorado en Ciencias cognitivas y psicolingüística en Francia e hizo un postdoctorado en Italia, en el área del desarrollo temprano del cerebro y la cognición (mente) humana en niños con desarrollo típico y atípico. Actualmente es profesora en la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile e investigadora principal en Cenia, donde se dedica a modelar el desarrollo temprano.

PUBLICACIONES

Publisher: NPJ Science of Learning  Link>

ABSTRACT

Young children’s linguistic and communicative abilities are foundational for their academic achievement and overall well-being. We present the positive outcomes of a brief tablet-based intervention aimed at teaching toddlers and preschoolers new word-object and letter-sound associations. We conducted two experiments, one involving toddlers ( ~ 24 months old, n = 101) and the other with preschoolers ( ~ 42 months old, n = 152). Using a pre-post equivalent group design, we measured the children’s improvements in language and communication skills resulting from the intervention. Our results showed that the intervention benefited toddlers’ verbal communication and preschoolers’ speech comprehension. Additionally, it encouraged vocalizations in preschoolers and enhanced long-term memory for the associations taught in the study for all participants. In summary, our study demonstrates that the use of a ludic tablet-based intervention for teaching new vocabulary and pre-reading skills can improve young children’s linguistic and communicative abilities, which are essential for future development.


agencia nacional de investigación y desarrollo
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