Children who are immersed in digital technology have a hard time reading human emotions, according to a new study.
Psychologists from UCLA College examined two groups of sixth-graders from a Southern California public school. Both groups took a preliminary test evaluating their ability to recognize the emotions of other people in videos and pictures.
After the test, one group was sent to the Pali Institute, a nature and science camp that doesn't allow students to use electronic devices, while the other group stayed back home with their normal surroundings.
The children were tested again after five days, and researchers revealed that the children in the camp without technology improved significantly, (e) Science News reported. Researchers also didn't notice any significant difference between the results of boys and girls.
"We've shown a model of what more face-to-face interaction can do," Patricia Greenfield, UCLA professor of psychology and author of the study, told UCLA Newsroom. "Social interaction is needed to develop skills in understanding the emotions of other people."
The research is published online and will appear in October's print edition of Computers in Human Behavior.
