Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41492823›Full record

ArticleDevelopmental science2026

Can Infants Perceive and Learn New Information from Extended Reality?

Liquan Liu, Brayden Condie, Jasmine Sutton, Sharmin Saba, Ashleigh Blackwell, Faiza Humaira, Rakhshinda Shoaib, David Arness, Tomas Trescak

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Developmental science, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Liquan LiuGraduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8671-5098
Brayden CondieSchool of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
Jasmine SuttonGraduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Sharmin SabaGraduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Ashleigh BlackwellGraduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Faiza HumairaGraduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Rakhshinda ShoaibGraduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
David ArnessGraduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2334-0641
Tomas TrescakMARCS Institute for Brain and Behaviour, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.

Funding

Early Career Researcher 20311.87608European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovationprogram under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie 798658Forest Hill Foundation, the Foundation of Graduates in Early Childhood StudiesStart-Up GrantVice-Chancellor Professional Development Scholarships (2023) 20311.86565
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

As global societies increasingly embrace digital technologies, their integration into early childhood education becomes crucial for achieving United Nations sustainable developmental goals. The present study investigates whether extended reality (XR) environments effectively support infants' perception and learning capabilities. A total of 144 Australian infants aged 6-12 and 18-24 months were tested on their abilities to discriminate and learn non-native Mandarin tones under one of the three conditions, Live (face-to-face interaction), XR-Live (real-time virtual interaction), and XR-Recorded (pre-recorded virtual interaction). Infants successfully discriminated the tone contrast, with perception outcomes influenced by age and condition: older infants exhibited robust discrimination in both XR conditions, and long looking time in the Live condition. In object-label association, infants learned equally well in Live and both XR conditions, influenced by age and tone complexity-older infants learned better overall, particularly the acoustically complex dipping tone. Findings highlight XR's potential to effectively support sustainable cognitive and linguistic development, underscoring its promise for future integration in early educational and developmental interventions. SUMMARY: Second-year infants demonstrated enhanced perceptual discrimination of non-native speech after targeted exposure in XR environments. Second-year infants showed robust attention to non-native speech following face-to-face interaction with a native speaker of that language. Second-year infants demonstrated equivalent learning of non-native speech across XR and face-to-face conditions, highlighting XR's potential to support early language development. Infants showed stronger learning of the acoustically complex dipping tone than the rising tone, with older infants outperforming their younger counterparts.

Indexed as

Language DevelopmentLearningSpeech PerceptionVirtual RealityChild DevelopmentChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantMale

Identifiers

PMID41492823
PMCPMC12771272

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.