Screen-based Entertainment Media are Pedagogically Ineffective
analytical Essay
1610 words
In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) first issued a guideline on media exposure for infants (children less than 2 years old). In it, they recommended that “television and other entertainment media” be avoided entirely in that population. (AAP, 1999) As more and more studies examining this subject were conducted and their findings released, the AAP considered the evidence and the AAP stood by its guidelines in 2011. (Brown, 2011) Given TV and screen media’s pervasive penetration in American culture, their potential benefits and damages in children’s development are paramount. As such, the AAP’s guidelines, and the weight they carry, need to be continually assessed and evaluated. This paper will argue that the AAP’s recommendation should be upheld for infants (under age 2) because screen-based entertainment media are pedagogically ineffective and displace much-needed social interaction. I will review literature discussing the effectiveness and impact of television and screen media, and then explore the critical role of social interaction in infants’ developmental process.
Educational TV programs and DVDs targeted at infants have proven to be largely ineffective at improving infants’ word and language acquisition. Counting the number of new words learned by an infant is a good way to quantify the effectiveness of their word acquisition. A study conducted by DeLoache et al. exposed 12- to 18-month old infants to large amounts of popular, infant-targeted programming for 4 weeks at home aimed to evaluate the impact of this programming on infants’ word learning. (DeLoache, 2010) Prior to and following the 4-week exposure period, children were asked to point at certain objects that were featured in the video. The childre...
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...television scenario. Child development, 74(1), 221-237.
Rideout, V.J., Vanderwater, E.A., & Wartella, E.A. (2006). Zero to six: electronic media in the lives of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Roseberry, S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R.M. (2013). Skype me! Socially contingent interactions help toddlers learn language. Child Development, 85(3), 956-970.
Saffran, J. R. (2002). Constraints on statistical language learning. Journal of Memory and Language, 47(1), 172-196.
Schmidt, M.E., Pempek, T.A., Kirkorian, H.L., Lund, A.F., & Anderson, D.R. (2008). The effects of background television on the toy play behavior of very young children. Child Development, 79(4), 1137-1151.
Zimmerman, F.J., Christakis, D.A., & Meltzoff, A.N. (2007). Associations between media viewing and language development in children under age 2 years. Journal of Pediatrics, 151(4), 364-368.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the aap's recommendation should be upheld for infants because screen-based entertainment media are pedagogically ineffective and displace much-needed social interaction.
- Explains that educational tv programs and dvds targeted at infants have proven to be largely ineffective at improving their word and language acquisition.
- Analyzes how the educational ineffectiveness of dvd material extends into more complex tasks such as phonetic distinguishing between languages.
- Argues that television exposure has deleterious effects on children's behavior and development, including background television, which is a common phenomenon in most us households.
- Analyzes zimmerman, christakis, and meltzoff's 2007 survey study on media exposure and language development in infants.
- Analyzes the role of social interaction and interpersonal education in infants' development. the deloache study showed that parents outperformed educational dvds in teaching new words.
- Analyzes kuhl's 2003 study attempting to reverse the natural trend of infants losing their phonetic foreign language skills.
- Argues that the aap's guidelines are correct and should be upheld.
- Cites deloache, chiong, sherman, islam, vanderborght, troseth, g.l., and strouse.
Related
- analytical
- explanatory
- comparative
- opinion
- In “Television Harms Children”, Ann Vorisek White claims that the intellectual and cognitive development of children who frequently watch television is threatened. To support this claim, she points to the findings that “the more television children watch, the weaker their language skills and imaginations” (White, 2006). Before the brain fully matures around age 12, it is in the stage of rapid development. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) “recommends that children under the age of two not watch TV or videos, and that older children watch only one to two hours per day of nonviolent, educational TV” (White, 2006). A study from the AAP (as cited in White, 2006) found that the average American child watches four hours of television every day. Considering "expression and reasoning are not automatic" abilities, young children who routinely watch television eventually become "passive and nonverbal" to stimuli in their environment (White, 2006). Since the normality of curiosity and imaginations of young children are the foundation of how they learn, remaining passive for extended periods of time affects their intellectual and moral development.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how ann vorisek white's "television harms children" claims that the intellectual and cognitive development of children who frequently watch television is threatened.
- Explains that nonverbal absorption from language spoken by actors on tv does not have the same effect on children's intellectual and cognitive development as real-life language experiences.
- Analyzes how white explains how television suppresses the imagination and suggests healthy alternative activities for children to stimulate their minds while adapting to different environments.
- Explains that intelligence and cognitive development mean adaptability to an environment throughout life. white's main purpose for this article is to show how television regresses development.
606 wordsRead More - The Negative Impact of Exposing Children to Media Violenceanalytical essayBerkebile, Nicole, Julie Newman, and Susan Parker. "The Effects of Television on a Childís Development." 1995. http://www.richmond.edu/~psych/tvmain.html (17 Oct. 2000).
In this essay, the author
- Opines that unjustified violence is wrong, and physical confrontation has consequences. the american psychological association estimates that the average american child or teenager views 10,000 murders, rapes and aggravated assaults per year on television.
- Explains that violence in the media affects children differently; this adds complication to finding solutions to the problems of media violence's influence on children.
- Cites berkebile, nicole, julie newman, and susan parker. the effects of television on a childs development.
- Argues that television violence has been around for decades, and that it is harmful for children.
- Explains that desensitization is a common issue of television violence, which manifests in the child's tolerance for and acceptance of violence. stimulus addiction is an effect of exposure to violent content.
- Explains how society can diminish the negative influence of media violence on children. parents should monitor what their children are watching on television, but allow them some freedom in what they watch.
1459 wordsRead More - Childhood Exposure to Televisionanalytical essayChildhood overexposure to television can cause a detrimental effect on reading skills and behavior. Bar-on (2000) states, “The exposure of American children and adolescents to television continues to exceed the time they spend in the classroom: 15,000 hours versus 12,000 hours by the time they graduate.” (p. 289) Children are more vulnerable than adults, to the influences of the behaviors that they view. The pediatrics association estimates that for every hour a child under two spends in front of a screen, he or she spends about fifty minutes less interacting with a parent, and about ten percent less time in creative play. (Carey, 2011, p. 2) Although there have been some studies that found some prosocial and educational benefits, significant research has shown there are a lot more negative effects. (Bar-on, 2000, p. 289) This paper will describe in detail the effects that can be caused from too much television.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that overexposure to television can have a detrimental effect on reading skills and behavior. children are more vulnerable than adults to the influences of their behaviors.
- Analyzes how television's abundance of violence leads to a rise in violent behavior among young people, especially if the violence is rewarded.
- Explains that prosocial television has been linked to an increase of friendliness, co-operation, self-control, and a reduction of stereotypes.
- Explains how their wife and i have noticed a significant difference in education and development. lorraine has responded to our personal teaching, being able to interact with us, far better than minimally interactive shows. hands-on learning for young children allows them to be stimulated through interaction with people.
- Explains that television has become a distraction to many young viewers, causing an decrease in reading and motivation to do it.
- Analyzes how television affects children's development, stating that forty percent of two-year-olds are watching at least three hours of television a day.
- Explains that children's exposure to television during the preschool years is predictive of academic outcome during adolescence, but the kind of television that is watched matters.
- Explains that sesame street has been shown to have a variety of benefits for preschool children, including increases in vocabulary, ability to count, and general school readiness.
840 wordsRead More - Anderson, Daniel R., et al. Early Childhood Television Viewing and Adolescent Behavior. Ed. Willis F. Overton. Boston: Blackwell Publishers, 2001. Print.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that entertaining educational television shows can help children develop lifelong social and educational skills by developing their memory and mimicking appropriate social behaviors.
- Explains that disney channel, nickelodeon, and pbs kids run programs in the morning aimed at children in preschool and kindergarten.
- Explains how albert bandura proved observational learning true by using a "bobo doll" and giving it to children to see what they would do.
- Explains how bandura's theory applies to a television show, where children share actions that display educational and social skills in hopes of mimicking the character.
- Explains anderson, daniel r., et al. early childhood television viewing and adolescent behavior.
668 wordsRead More - Language And Language Essaycomparative essayLanguage is crucial to young children’s development; it is essential for learning and communicating with others. Children learn most effectively through being involved in rich experiences and practical activities promoted through play, and adults need to join this play talking with and listening to them. There have been several theories about how young children acquire language. Some argued that the environment is an important factor, while others state that language is innate and that environment has a minor role in shaping knowledge.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that children learn best through rich experiences and practical activities promoted through play, and adults need to join this play talking with and listening to them.
- Explains that children are conditioned by their environment to respond to certain stimuli with language. b.f. skinner speculates that the environment is the active agent and the learner the passive agent.
- Explains that chomsky's behaviorist theory fails to recognize the logical problem of language acquisition.
- Concludes that behaviorism can point to successful strategies in the acquisition of a foreign language when getting older. the environment plays an important role in language acquisition.
740 wordsRead More - Positive Effects of Television Upon Childrenexplanatory essayPalmer, Edward L. Children in the Cradle of Television. United States of America: D.C. Health, 1987.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that television is the central and principal form of communication in many people's lives. the effects of television on children have been disputed.
- Explains that children's television shows in the 1940s and 1950s offered children pure entertainment and very little smart education.
- Explains that television supports reading, which in turn improves language ability. good programming increases reading and can increase thinking.
- Opines that television is both an entertainer and an educator for children. neil postman supports television for its valuable contribution to language development.
- Explains how puppets, whimsy, pie throwing, and silliness characterized television's innocence in the 1940s.
- Explains that educational television programs for children expanded in the late 1960s and early 1970s. mister rogers' neighborhood, sesame street, and the electric company were popular and successful programs.
- Describes how mister rogers' neighborhood began playing on the public broadcasting system in 1967. he became a positive role for children by teaching them about friendships, social, and the occupation world.
- Explains that sesame street was created to teach reading and math concepts to preschoolers, using humor, music, and the power of visual television.
- Explains that mothers of mentally retarded children wrote to tell us that although their children were incapable of learning, they observed them learning from the sesame street to recite the alphabet, recognize letters, and count in sequence.
- Explains that in the 1970s people took a test on children who did and did not watch sesame street and on those who watched more than others.
- Analyzes sesame street's use of colorful and nice image that easily attracts a child’s attention. the group of character is children, adults, and many famous puppets.
- Explains that people who inhabit sesame street are forceful individuals, from multi-racial and multiethnic backgrounds, possessed of considerable imagination. they hang out with uncommon creatures like big bird, cookie monster, and oscar the grouch.
- Analyzes how the show moved on to morals, human relations, and emotions. it taught children valuable lessons about life.
- Explains that individuals include a motley crew of young and old, black and white and brown, female and male, strong and weak bodied, tall and small, and treat each other with dignity and respect.
- Explains that sesame street teaches children about the world and helps them understand and accept differences in others. it uses direct methods to teach basic intellectual skills and also indirect teaching methods social attitudes.
- Explains that the children's television workshop began show the electric company in 1971 to teach reading skills to second- and fourth-graders. the program involved sound-symbol analysis of the printed word.
- Explains that both sesame street and the electric company succeeded at educating young children from all backgrounds.
- Explains that programs are similar in that they provide many of vocabulary development by giving simple dialogues that are very understandable. they both use similar approaches in teaching children by being imaginative, creative, and funny.
- Explains that television was created only to entertain, but educational television programs succeeded in intellectually educating children while also entertaining them. public television teaches children the basic knowledge and valuable facts of life.
- Cites lesser, gerald s. children and television. new york: random house, 1974; lystad, mary. "20 years on sesame street."
1631 wordsRead More - Mirror Neuronsanalytical essayThompson, R. A., & Nelson, C. A. (2001). Developmental Science and the Media: Early Brain Development. American Psychologist, 56(1), 5-15.
In this essay, the author
- Summarizes the research on mirror neurons in humans, language, and autism.
- Explains that the research on mirror neurons began with an important, but unexpected finding in the brains of macaque monkeys.
- Explains that mirror neurons are the "spark" that allowed humans to branch off from apes; the human brain was able to use the mirror neuron system differently than monkeys'
- Explains that the mirror neuron system of those with autism is not as active as those in healthy adults.
- Describes jaime pineda's work on mirror neurons in children with autism. the research suggests that the mirror neuron system needs to be retrained to function more like that of typically developing children.
- Opines that research on mirror neurons was misinterpreted and overstated due to the potential for answers to philosophical questions about human nature. there are limitations to what the study of the brain can tell us about uniquely human phenomena.
- Argues that the work on animals can be generalized to other animals and humans. macaque monkeys do not have language, empathy, or theory of mind.
- Explains that research on mirror neurons incorrectly implied that the human brain is somewhat stagnant from birth. this interpretation can be related to earlier work in psychology suggesting that brain differences caused certain people to develop depression or other forms of psychopathology.
- Analyzes how elizabeth sowell's research shows that the brains of adolescents look and function differently from the ones of adults.
- Compares the results of fmri studies with those of monkeys. the mirror neuron system is different from the parts of the brain that normally activate when using language and communicating social understanding.
- Opines that the research on mirror neurons is interesting and has helped to delineate some of the more complex human behaviors.
- Explains that thompson, a., and nelson, c.a. (2001). developmental science and the media: early brain development.
- Explains that neuroscientists could not use the same single-unit recording that had been used with the sample of monkeys.
- Explains that mirror neurons change with experience and can develop from particular experiences. the most common methodology used in human subjects is functional magnetic resonance imaging.
2935 wordsRead More - I could remember sitting in the living room at my aunt’s house after getting out the bus from kindergarten. She would feed me lunch and after I ate all of my chicken nuggets, I could turn on the TV before I took a nap. There was always something on that was interesting to watch. A lot of them definitely had a lot of color schemes and fast paced stuff. Gullah Gullah Island was one of my favorites. It was broadcasted as a thirty-minute episode that had a giant hopping yellow muppet frog that was funny. It had a tropical theme, happy and bubbly music, and happy people living their happy lives. They would portray different actions that happened in real life. Most of the actions were bad. The actions came with consequences or a moral lesson. The main characters of the show would tell us why that action was bad and how we should fix it if we were to ever come across the same case again. After they learned their lesson, the show ended with the happy upbeat theme song.
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how they remember sitting in the living room at their aunt's house after getting out the bus from kindergarten.
- Explains that the media has become an industry with booming success. the media is an aid to a lot of businesses as well.
- Explains that children, at a young age, don't want to do anything, but play or watch television. they loved watching cartoons and playing outside with their kitties.
- Explains that children's shows may seem dull and boring to older kids, but it may not be to a younger audience.
- Analyzes how children's views of reality are influenced by the characters they see portrayed on television.
- Analyzes how media technology has helped and hindered children's cognitive development. it teaches them how to spell everyday words, add and subtract, tie shoes, and make crafts.
- Explains that television violence and aggression leads to aggressive behavior in children. teenage mutant turtles and power rangers promote violence by fighting evil with fists or weapons.
- Explains how media technology helps the cognitive development of a child. it also has ways to discourage and affect children.
1529 wordsRead More - How Technology has Impacted Parentingopinion essayDowsnen, Steven. “How TV Affects Your Child.” N.p. October 2011. Kid’s Health.Web. 20 November 2011.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that parents struggle to keep up with the ever-changing worlds of technology and mass media. too much screen time can interfere with physical activity, reading, homework, playing with others, and being with family.
- Opines that digital screens give young teen's access to friends, entertainment, and information, as well as telecommuters, internet marketing professionals and producers complete access.
- Opines that technology has impacted every aspect of being a child, including physical activity, exposure to adult themes, and lack of interaction with family and peers.
- Opines that most parents are clueless to what their children are doing on the internet or on their cell phones because technology has cut out the middle man which are parents. they need to understand that media influences everything they are concerned about in their child’s growth and development.
- Opines that parents should be more engaged in their teens' lives and get them into physical activities to prevent them from falling into the dangers of technology.
- Opines that television and other gadgets can get in the way of discovering playing, interacting with growth, family, and peers, which influences play, intellectual, social and physical growth.
- Opines that television violence begs for emulation because it promotes it as a cool and good way to get what they want.
- Explains that alcohol advertisements in the media have escalated over the last few years, and immature kids are being influenced by them more than ever.
- Explains that even though cigarette advertisements on television have been banned, teens could still view plenty of people smoking in shows and movies airing on tv. kids who view 5 or more hours of tv daily are far more likely to smoke than those who watch less than the recommended 2 hours a day.
- Explains that many people try to portray teens as the ones too engaged in technology and media use, but it is not always teens, it's also parents.
- Opines that parents should find a balance between time with their family and gadgets when they consider the usage of technology. children learn by example meaning they watch what the parent is doing.
- Recommends that parents set time limits on what can be used on a school day, the weekend and during quality family time, and be consistent if they fail to do this it will send mixed signals.
- Recommends balancing physical and social activities with media to keep the brain healthy. parents should get a facebook and become friends with them online.
- Explains that it is up to the parent to decide the devices their child should have and the amount they should be allowed to use them.
- Cites dowsnen, steven, and johnson, alandra. how tv affects your child.
1543 wordsRead More - The Effects of Television on Child Developmentexplanatory essayOur generation has been raised in a technological advanced world and there has been definite controversy over many of these innovations that this new culture has brought. An innovation that has troubled the youth of America for many years is television. Although there is no certainty to eliminate this 'plug-in drug,'; there are many ways to control and monitor your television as a parent.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that television has troubled the youth of america for many years. although there is no certainty to eliminate this plug-in drug, there are many ways to control and monitor your television as a parent.
- Explains that children between two and eleven years of age watch an average of 25 hours of television a week.
- Explains that television interferes with the development of intelligence, thinking skill, and imagination. children socialized to learn from television had lower than normal expectations about the amount of mental effort required.
- Explains that television also conditions a child to expect the level of televisions in other situations. in school children are called upon to speak, listen, work some problems, or read, and none of these tasks contain the 'dual stimula' that children expect from television.
- Explains that watching television impedes the growth of longer attention spans. odds bodkin performs before 10,000 children a year.
- Explains that television interferes with the development of reading skills. one hour a day learning to move the eyes back and forth cannot compete with four or more hours with eyes fixed on the television screen.
- Explains that television decreases the time for children to develop speaking skills. children learn to speak by first words and then by short sentences.
- Explains that television has effected children greatly due to add (attention deficit disorder) and adhd. research suggests that not letting children under the age of five view television in significant amounts will lessen the chance he or she will develop the disorder.
- Explains that television affects children because it provides them with a powerful set of standards for behavior, which leads to the learning and performance of social behaviors.
- Explains that television has a drastic effect on the youth. the most famous incident happened in moraine, ohio in october of 1993.
- Explains that there is no way to shut off television as a whole, since it's part of our culture and moneymaker for television programs to stop. designing 'television turn-off week' can be effective and enjoyable.
- Recommends presenting the idea of a television turn-off to pre-school children and toddlers, giving all the reasons you think it is worthwhile, and showing solidarity in front of the children.
2026 wordsRead More