Informative Report
English
21003, Section M
Professor
Matyakubova
16
September 2017
Informative Report Draft #1
Impacts
of Media on Mental and Behavioral Development of Children
Children are watching
television, using social media, or playing video games daily. Since the 1990s,
media had an influence on children’s behavioral and mental development. Social
media is one of the many ways to be entertained. Social media is a phrase used
to describe interactions with others through the cybernetic society. Media can
either enhance a child’s brain development or cause a negative effect on a
child’s behavior or attitudes. Children are affected by media differently,
whether it’s cognitive skills, direct learning, or their well-being. There are
many factors such as income, age, or parent involvement that can lessen the
negative impact of media.
Young Children’s Learning
Kirkorian’s et al
research conducted their experiment based on infants and toddlers’ cognitive
development. Media influences children’s attention span, learning abilities
from educational programs, and academic achievement. This research contains
reasons as to why producers and parents should increase benefits for children’s
mental development, particularly ages around preschool. Studies show that
children couldn’t learn from the shows they watched because most shows,
specifically Sesame Street, “provided
nothing educational”. However, Huston and Wright proposed a theory that
contradicts to that, which states that children’s attention may change as a
child ages (Kirkorian et al, 40). In addition, around the 1980’s, research
shows that children paid little to no attention to television possibly because
there was little television produced for them. (Kirkorian et al, 42).
Nevertheless, 1990 was a year many shows were produced and that is when
children started watching television at such an early age.
Children around
eighteen months have a challenging time understanding dialogue thus causing
them not being able to comprehend media; so, they wouldn’t learn from
television. It’s not until they’ve reached three or four years old that they
can tell whether the characters or objects on television can come to life or
not. For instance, three- and four-year-old children were asked if the bowl of
popcorn on the screen would fall over if the television were to be flipped
upside down. It seems that the three-year-olds couldn’t differentiate real life
objects from televised images, but the four-year-olds were able to understand
that televised objects represent real life objects. Children younger than two
years of age find it easier to understand real-life experiences rather than
learning from a video. Therefore, they are more likely to imitate a live person
causing them to learn what is being performed.
Many critics have
accused television for being a negative on children’s cognitive skills,
particularly the development of attention. However, some educational programs
were designed with a specific goal, which Kirkorian et al states, which teaches
their intended lessons to the children watching. Also, it is mentioned that the
false accusations are targeting educational programs. However, “preschoolers
who view Sesame Street have higher
levels of school readiness than those who do not” (Kirkorian et al, 46). The
content of the show is a crucial factor for children’s learning capabilities. Sesame Street focuses on a variation of
skills that increase social skills and academic achievement, making it the most
studied and popular program for children. Another program that helps with
social skills and problem-solving skills is Blue’s
Clues. Regular viewers of Blue’s Clues
outdone children who don’t watch it in problem solutions after a two-year
program evaluation. These broadcasts demonstrate long-lasting effects on
children’s learning abilities.
An important aspect,
aside from content of the program and age of the child, is the role of the
parents. According to Kirkorian et al, “Co-viewing adults, for example, can
enhance the effectiveness of educational programming […] extending lessons
presented in the program.” Parents play a vital role in a child’s life so explaining
a performance on television improves a child’s mental growth.
There are many sources
that indicate children older than two learn from educational media. In
addition, with moderate evidence, there is a positive link between children who
watch these educational programs and academic performance. As well as a
positive link, there is moderate evidence considering the violence children can
gain through media that negatively affect behavior and cognitive skills.
Reducing Media Viewing
Children are often
viewing at least 6 hours a day of media which can negatively affect their brain
due to the exposure of media violence. This type of media can reduce their
academic performance, help engage them in acts of violence, and higher the risk
of obesity.
Excessive media usage
can result in poor school performance. As mentioned by Jason et al, “…viewing
replaces time that might otherwise be spent reading or engaged in alternate
school-related activities”. Children that don’t participate in other outside
activities don’t encounter life experiences, such as cooperating with others.
Statistics show that 39% of children said rather go on the internet than to
occupy their time in after-school activities (Jason et al, 194). Media can also
increase a child’s aggressive behavior affecting their social skills and
relationships with others.
The average child
watches up to 100,000 acts of violence by the end of elementary school (Jason
et al, 194), triggering their mental state specifically during early childhood
and then adolescence. Innovative electronic media sources can encourage a child
to engage in violence and hate. Likewise, video games are a source of
electronic media that can cause a drive for violent behavior. “Video games set
a child in the role of the aggressor and thus reward him or her for violent
behavior.” (Jason et al, 195). After playing a violent video game, there is an
attachment to the game and a decrease in prosocial behavior to people outside
of the game. On the other hand, educational programs are linked with future
academic performance due to the little violence shown in these programs.
Another negative effect
of media on children’s development is obesity. As a child watches more hours of
television, there is a higher risk of obesity due to inactivity. The various
forms of media, such as television, video games, and the Internet, causes
children to become lazier. By the time children reach the end of their teenage
years, the average American child consumed their time watching television more
than any other activity other than sleeping (Jason et al, 196). The increase of
food consumption like chips, fast food, or soft drinks, the higher the fat
intake as well.
Jason et al states that
parents can be very influential when it comes to a child’s mental and
behavioral enhancement. Parents that attained a high educational level tend to
limit their child’s media usage. Parental attitudes toward child’s viewing also
relate to family communication. Children’s use of time is important, so when
parents encourage their children to participate in other activities, it
positively correlates to a child’s health and decreases a risk in obesity along
with psychological problems. Reducing media usage transforms into encouragement
in other activities.
Media as Social Partners
Social learning for
children is the effective for their learning abilities. However, screen media
can also be a learning tool for children. Polls have shown that many children
often use screen media, for instance, television and videos. Children under
two-years-old are recommended not to view any media but their use of media
continues to rise; children over two-years-old are suggested to watch not more
than two hours of television. This is because children at the age of two or
three years, they learn from a live person rather than a person on a screen. As
said by Richert et al, children that develop perceptual abilities is a crucial
factor in their evolving ability to learn from a screen.
At infancy, it is
challenging to differentiate objects on a screen from real life objects. “…
9-month-old children treated objects moving across a video screen in the same
way they treated actual objects…” (Richert, 84). Children at that age tend to
reach for the screen when something moving because they believe they’re able to
grasp it. Yet, at 15-month-olds they start to recognize that objects on a
screen is a representation of real life objects.
Another study that
involves toddlers at the age of two or three years determine if they’re able to
find a hidden object, that is hidden on screen or in person. Findings are that
3-year-old children have a difficult time finding an object when they watch the
actions performed from a screen, but 2-year-old children cannot find the
object. This supports the claim that toddlers learn better from experiences in
person rather than on a screen.
Adults directing their
child’s attention to television implies that the television is a significant
source of media to attend, children then relate it to a way of learning. In
that case, they have a social relationship to the characters on the screen.
This can have positive impact depending on the content of the program. For
example, Teletubbies is a show
intended for infants but can also lessen mental development with their sense of
vocabulary. Nonetheless, other shows like Arthur,
Dragon Tales, and Blue’s Clues have a positive correlation
with children viewing those programs and improvement in vocabulary. During
preschool, children at that age react to the educational programs helping their
social and cognitive skills. They’re more likely to start talking to the screen
when the character resembles the viewer.
In addition, a highlight of the programs’
intentions has a higher benefit for the child’s understanding of a program. “…having
an adult male voice tell children the message […] can increase 4-to 6-year old
children’s comprehension of the prosocial message in the program.” (Richert,
91). Sometimes children cannot understand the moral of the episode so there
would be a narrator’s voice explaining the lesson concretely rather than
abstractly, then a child can comprehend what he or she just watched. Aside from
a narrator, parents also play a key role how they treat media and if children
learn television or not. Parents can view the programs with their child but at
the same time let their child develop a parasocial relationship with the
characters.
Discussion
Children are influenced
differently by media. Media can cause a negative or positive impact. Based on
the sources provided, there are positive correlations with media and academic
performance from educational programs. The content shown in the programs
determine whether it is helpful for a child’s mental development. As for the
negative effects, violence from media can cause a higher risk of aggression in
early childhood and adolescence. Another negative impact of media is obesity
because of the lack of physical activity. Violent behavior from video games and
high fat intake worsen the child’s health, physically and mentally. Regardless
of the influence of media, more research must be done to support new claims for
the future.
Works Cited
Jason, Leonard A., et al. "Reducing
Media Viewing: Implications for Behaviorists." Journal of Early and
Intensive Behavior Intervention, vol. 2, no. 3, 2005, pp. 194-206.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1037/h0100313.
Kirkorian, Heather L.,
et al. “Media and Young Children's Learning.” The Future of Children,
vol. 18, no. 1, 2008, pp. 39–61. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20053119.
Richert, Rebekah A.,
et al. “Media as Social Partners: The Social Nature of Young Children's Learning From Screen Media.” Child
Development, vol. 82, no. 1, 2011, pp. 82–95. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/29782819.
English
21003, Section M
Professor
Matyakubova
14
September 2017
Informative Report Draft #1 Reflection
The purpose of writing the informative report is to
inform and engage the audience in listening about research that involves all
kinds of sciences. As I gathered sources from the databases from the online
City College of New York library, it wasn’t an easy task finding only three
sources. While brainstorming I found it very difficult to format a report after
reading very long articles. Even though I’m interested in the topic, the report
itself was very overwhelming due to attempting at being a perfectionist.
I am aware of having an unorganized first draft only
because of the pressure in trying very hard. I’m going to try the best that I can
to keep changing my draft into a final report that will be a lot easier to
understand. The information that I’ve read is a very interesting topic,
however, it is very difficult in trying to compose my thoughts into one
organized report.
English
21003, Section M
Professor
Matyakubova
16
September 2017
Informative Report- Final Draft
Impacts
of Media on Mental and Behavioral Development of Children
Abstract
Research shows that children
who watch television or use social media can either positively affect or
negatively affect a child’s behavioral and mental development. There are many
cases as to benefiting a child’s mental growth correlating it to the
educational programs that television provides. Infants have a tough time
understanding the dialogue but preschoolers learn vocabulary and problem-solving
skills. Children can have their parent explain as an advantage to their mental
knowledge. On the other hand, the disadvantages link to aggressive behavior and
obesity. Children can learn many acts of violence throughout a span of a few
years. So, by the end of elementary school, a child can witness almost 8,000
murder scenes. Obesity is also a known drawback for television shows. A child
can consume many high fat foods while watching television for hours. The
findings reviewed are based on the pros and cons from screen media and
enhancing a child’s use of time.
Children are watching
television, using social media, or playing video games daily. Since the 1990s,
media had an influence on children’s behavioral and mental development. Around
the 1980’s, research shows that children paid little to no attention to television
possibly because there was little television produced for them. Nevertheless,
1990 was a year many shows were produced and that is when children started
watching television at such an early age. Social media is one of the many ways
to be entertained. Social media is a phrase used to describe interactions with
others through the cybernetic society. Media can either enhance a child’s brain
development or cause a negative effect on a child’s behavior or attitudes.
Children are affected by media differently, whether it’s cognitive skills,
direct learning, or their well-being. There are many factors such as income,
age, or parent involvement that can lessen the negative impact of media.
Young Children’s Learning
Media influences
children’s attention span, learning abilities from educational programs, and
academic achievement. Studies show that children couldn’t learn from the shows
they watched because most shows, specifically Sesame Street, “provided nothing that could be truly educational”
(Kirkorian, 40). Their research was based on infants and toddlers’ cognitive
development. There are many reasons as to why producers and parents should
increase benefits for children’s mental development, particularly ages around
preschool. However, Huston and Wright proposed a theory that contradicts to
that, which states that children’s attention may change as a child ages (Kirkorian
et al, 40).
Children around
eighteen months have a challenging time understanding dialogue thus they’re not
able to comprehend media; so, they wouldn’t learn from television. It’s not
until they’ve reached three or four years old that they can tell whether the
characters or objects on television can come to life or not. For instance,
three- and four-year-old children were asked if the bowl of popcorn on the
screen would fall over if the television were to be flipped upside down. It
seems that the three-year-olds couldn’t differentiate real life objects from televised
images, but the four-year-olds were able to understand that televised objects
represent real life objects (43). Children
younger than two years of age find it easier to understand real-life
experiences rather than learning from a video. Therefore, they are more likely
to imitate a live person causing them to learn what is being performed.
Many critics have
accused television for being a negative on children’s cognitive skills,
particularly the development of attention. However, some educational programs were
designed with a specific goal, which teaches their intended lessons to the
children watching. Also, it is mentioned that the false accusations are targeting
educational programs. However, it states that, “preschoolers who view Sesame Street have higher levels of
school readiness than those who do not” (Kirkorian et al, 46). The content of
the show is a crucial factor for children’s learning capabilities. Sesame Street focuses on a variation of
skills that increase social skills and academic achievement, making it the most
studied and popular program for children. Another program that helps with
social skills and problem-solving skills is Blue’s
Clues. Regular viewers of Blue’s
Clues outdone children who don’t watch it in problem solutions after a
two-year program evaluation. These broadcasts demonstrate long-lasting effects
on children’s learning abilities.
An important aspect,
aside from content of the program and age of the child, is the role of the
parents. According to Kirkorian et al, “Co-viewing adults, for example, can
enhance the effectiveness of educational programming […] extending lessons
presented in the program.” (52). Parents play a vital role in a child’s life so
explaining a performance on television improves a child’s mental growth.
There are many sources
that indicate children older than two learn from educational media. In
addition, with moderate evidence, there is a positive link between children who
watch these educational programs and academic performance. As well as a
positive link, there is moderate evidence considering the violence children can
gain through media that negatively affect behavior and cognitive skills.
Reducing Media Viewing
Children are often
viewing at least 6 hours a day of media which can negatively affect their brain
due to the exposure of media violence. This type of media can reduce their
academic performance, help engage them in acts of violence, and higher the risk
of obesity.
Excessive media usage
can result in poor school performance. As mentioned by Jason et al, “…viewing
replaces time that might otherwise be spent reading or engaged in alternate
school-related activities” (194). Children that don’t participate in other
outside activities don’t encounter life experiences, such as cooperating with
others. Statistics show that 39% of children said rather go on the internet
than to occupy their time in after-school activities (Jason et al, 194). Media
can also increase a child’s aggressive behavior affecting their social skills
and relationships with others.
The average child
watches up to 100,000 acts of violence by the end of elementary school (Jason
et al, 194), triggering their mental state specifically during early childhood
and then adolescence. Innovative electronic media sources can encourage a child
to engage in violence and hate. Likewise, video games are a source of
electronic media that can cause a drive for violent behavior. “Video games set
a child in the role of the aggressor and thus reward him or her for violent
behavior.” (Jason et al, 195). After playing a violent video game, there is an
attachment to the game and a decrease in prosocial behavior to people outside
of the game. On the other hand, educational programs are linked with future
academic performance due to the little violence shown in these programs.
Another negative effect
of media on children’s development is obesity. As a child watches more hours of
television, there is a higher risk of obesity due to inactivity. The various
forms of media, such as television, video games, and the Internet, causes
children to become lazier. By the time children reach the end of their teenage
years, the average American child consumed their time watching television more
than any other activity other than sleeping (Jason et al, 196). The increase of
food consumption like chips, fast food, or soft drinks, the higher the fat
intake as well.
Jason et al states that
parents can be very influential when it comes to a child’s mental and
behavioral enhancement. Parents that attained a high educational level tend to
limit their child’s media usage. Parental attitudes toward child’s viewing also
relate to family communication. Children’s use of time is important, so when
parents encourage their children to participate in other activities, it
positively correlates to a child’s health and decreases a risk in obesity along
with psychological problems. Reducing media usage transforms into encouragement
in other activities.
Media as Social Partners
Social learning for
children is the effective for their learning abilities. However, screen media
can also be a learning tool for children. Polls have shown that many children
often use screen media, for instance, television and videos. Children under
two-years-old are recommended not to view any media but their use of media
continues to rise; children over two-years-old are suggested to watch not more
than two hours of television. This is because children at the age of two or
three years, they learn from a live person rather than a person on a screen. As
said by Richert et al, children that develop perceptual abilities is a crucial
factor in their evolving ability to learn from a screen (84).
At infancy, it is
challenging to differentiate objects on a screen from real life objects. “…
9-month-old children treated objects moving across a video screen in the same
way they treated actual objects…” (Richert, 84). Children at that age tend to
reach for the screen when something moving because they believe they’re able to
grasp it. Yet, at 15-month-olds they start to recognize that objects on a
screen is a representation of real life objects.
Another study that
involves toddlers at the age of two or three years determine if they’re able to
find a hidden object, that is hidden on screen or in person. Findings are that
3-year-old children have a difficult time finding an object when they watch the
actions performed from a screen, but 2-year-old children cannot find the
object. This supports the claim that toddlers learn better from experiences in person
rather than on a screen (Richert, 84).
Adults directing their
child’s attention to television implies that the television is a significant
source of media to attend, children then relate it to a way of learning. In
that case, they have a social relationship to the characters on the screen.
This can have positive impact depending on the content of the program. For
example, Teletubbies is a show
intended for infants but can also lessen mental development with their sense of
vocabulary. Nonetheless, other shows like Arthur,
Dragon Tales, and Blue’s Clues have a positive correlation
with children viewing those programs and improvement in vocabulary. During
preschool, children at that age react to the educational programs helping their
social and cognitive skills. They’re more likely to start talking to the screen
when the character resembles the viewer.
In addition, a highlight of the programs’
intentions has a higher benefit for the child’s understanding of a program. “…having
an adult male voice tell children the message […] can increase 4-to 6-year old
children’s comprehension of the prosocial message in the program.” (Richert,
91). Sometimes children cannot understand the moral of the episode so there
would be a narrator’s voice explaining the lesson concretely rather than
abstractly, then a child can comprehend what he or she just watched. Aside from
a narrator, parents also play a key role how they treat media and if children
learn television or not. Parents can view the programs with their child but at
the same time let their child develop a parasocial relationship with the
characters.
Discussion
Children are influenced
differently by media. Media can cause a negative or positive impact. Based on
the sources provided, there are positive correlations with media and academic
performance from educational programs. The content shown in the programs
determine whether it is helpful for a child’s mental development. As for the
negative effects, violence from media can cause a higher risk of aggression in
early childhood and adolescence. Another negative impact of media is obesity
because of the lack of physical activity. Violent behavior from video games and
high fat intake worsen the child’s health, physically and mentally. Regardless
of the influence of media, more research must be done to support new claims for
the future.
Works Cited
Jason, Leonard A., et al. "Reducing
Media Viewing: Implications for Behaviorists." Journal of Early and
Intensive Behavior Intervention, vol. 2, no. 3, 2005, pp. 194-206.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1037/h0100313.
Kirkorian, Heather L.,
et al. “Media and Young Children's Learning.” The Future of Children,
vol. 18, no. 1, 2008, pp. 39–61. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20053119.
Richert, Rebekah A.,
et al. “Media as Social Partners: The Social Nature of Young Children's Learning From Screen Media.” Child
Development, vol. 82, no. 1, 2011, pp. 82–95. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/29782819.
English
21003, Section M
Professor
Matyakubova
14
September 2017
Informative Report Final Draft Reflection
The informative report was a very overwhelming paper
because of my time management. However, I learned a lot reading the articles
that I have used for my report. I used the articles to inform the reader what
issue is being discussed. After reading the articles, I thought about my future
because the articles only talk about children and how media is affecting them.
My writing skills need to improve but I believe this first report somewhat
helped my understanding of a paper.
Taking an English course is a bit intense only because
I’ve always struggled writing a good paper. Psychology and biology courses
assign us papers and lab reports but some teacher assistants don’t require too
much from a paper because it isn’t an English course. The article we read in class
“Shitty First Drafts” is basically a summary of what my final papers look like.
When I read it before class, I started laughing because it feels as if I gave
my opinion to the author and then she wrote about it. The informative report is
going to help improve my writing because now I have a sense of what I need to
include in my papers.
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