The Development of Picture Comprehension Across Early Environments: Evidence From Urban and Rural Toddlers in Western Kenya

Early childhood researchers frequently use learning materials and assessments involving pictures, across different cultures and contexts. However, there is variation in when and how children across cultures and contexts begin to understand and learn from pictures. While children growing up in high-income contexts often have more experience with picture books and other kinds of two-dimensional visual symbols, children growing up in low-income, rural contexts in low- and middle-income countries often have less experience with pictures and other kinds of visual symbols. The current research leverages variation in picture experience within a geographical region to investigate whether previous picture experience is related to toddlers' (1) performance on a picture-based word learning task, and (2) referential understanding, controlling for maternal education, number of toys, caregiver talk, and caregiver play. One hundred and twenty-eight toddlers in urban and rural western Kenya (n = 64 per area), who had varying amounts of picture experience, participated in a picture-based word learning task. Preregistered analyses with the entire sample showed no relation between picture experience and performance on a picture-based word learning task, or between picture experience and referential understanding. However, exploratory analyses found a positive association between picture experience and performance on the picture-based word learning task in the urban sample, but not the rural sample. We found no association between toddlers' referential understanding and picture experience, in either sample. We discuss how these results may inform the efficacy of learning materials and the validity of assessments used with children from diverse global backgrounds.