Speech dean shares $2.5M grant to study children, media

School of Speech Dean Barbara O’Keefe and three other national researchers have been granted $2.5 million in funding from the National Science Foundation to study the impact of interactive media on child learning.

O’Keefe said she will work with the University of Texas, University of California-Los Angeles and Georgetown University to analyze the behavior of children using interactive media, including video and computer games.

“The goal of the project is to address the paucity of research that we currently have on kids and the media,” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe will be responsible for updating the team on new interactive media advances.

The five-year grant from the NSF supports the establishment of Children’s Digital Media Centers at the four institutions. While O’Keefe’s research will focus on observing the children’s reactions, the UCLA researchers will use magnetic resonance imaging to examine the children’s brain activity as they play.

O’Keefe urged Northwestern undergraduate students to contact her if they want to help with the project.

“A goal of mine is to get undergraduate students involved,” she said. “They will be able to learn the ways in which new communications technology are shaping the intellectual and social development of kids.”