Children's feelings toward computers: A phenomenological view of some developmental aspects

Developmental differences in children's feelings toward computers were explored through a clinical interview and children's drawings. Participants were 120 3- to 6-year-olds. Based on the results, the youngest subjects (3 to 3 1/2 years) were confused and anxious about computers and showed a significant drop in the level of organization and quality of their drawings when required to deal with a computer. Past experience with computers did not seem to have an effect on this group. For the 4- to 5-year-olds, previous experiences with computers had a positive effect on the feelings and attitudes toward computers. The feelings of the 5- to 6-year-olds toward computers were not related to experience per se but to the amount of success experiences they have had with computers.