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From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 09:16:42 -0700
Subject: [Babies_are_Excellent] TV's Effects
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
Understanding TV's effects on the developing brain By Jane M. Healy, Ph.D.
ARTICLE REPRINT From the May 1998 AAP News, the official news magazine of
the American Academy of Pediatrics
With new shows targeted to children as young as 1 year, parents are asking
more questions about how television might be influencing their children.
Pediatricians can help young families make wise decisions about family media
consumption.
Neuroscientists have shown that environmental experiences significantly shape
the developing brain because of the plasticity of its neuronal connectivity.
Thus, repeated exposure to any stimulus in a child's environment may forcibly
impact mental and emotional growth, either by setting up particular circuitry
("habits of mind") or by depriving the brain of other experiences. While
appropriate stimuli close interaction with loving caregivers; an enriched,
interactive, human language environment; engrossing hands-on play
opportunities; and age-appropriate academic stimulation enhance the brain's
development, environments that encourage intellectual passivity and maladaptive
behavior (e.g., impulsivity, violence), or deprive the brain of important
chances to participate actively in social relationships, creative play,
reflection and complex problem-solving may have deleterious and irrevocable
consequences. In addition, trying to plunge youngsters into academic learning,
when they should be personally investigating the three-dimensional world,
risks bypassing important aspects of development.
Potential hazards in a media culture
Negative outcomes have been observed in today's schools, which appear to be
related to too much of the wrong kind of media exposure. An "epidemic" of
attention deficit disorder, behavioral problems, faltering academic abilities,
language difficulties (which extend to reading comprehension as well as oral
expression), and weak problem-solving skills are reported by teachers across
the United States. Of course, parents' rushed life-styles and societal
changes are partially responsible, but a growing body of research on television
viewing clearly supports its causation role, with different children's
tolerance thresholds varying widely.
Too much television particularly at ages critical for language development
and manipulative play can impinge negatively on young minds in several
different ways including the following:
Higher levels of television viewing correlate with lowered academic
performance, especially reading scores. This may be because television
substitutes for reading practice, partially because the compellingly visual
nature of the stimulus blocks development of left-hemisphere language
circuitry. A young brain manipulated by jazzy visual effects cannot divide
attention to listen carefully to language. Moreover, the "two-minute mind"
easily becomes impatient with any material requiring depth of processing.
The nature of the stimulus may predispose some children to attention
problems. Even aside from violent or overly stimulating sexual content, the
fast-paced, attention-grabbing "features" of children's programming (e.g.,
rapid zooms and pans, flashes of color, quick movement in the peripheral visual
field, sudden loud noises) were modeled after advertising research, which
determined that this technique is the best way to engage the brain's attention
involuntarily. Such experiences deprive the child of practice in using his own
brain independently, as in games, hobbies, social interaction, or just "fussing
around." I have talked to many parents of children diagnosed with attention
deficit disorder who found the difficulty markedly improved after they took
away television viewing privileges.
The brain's executive control system, or pre-frontal cortex, is responsible
for planning, organizing and sequencing behavior for self-control, moral
judgment and attention. These centers develop throughout childhood and
adolescence, but some research has suggested that "mindless" television or
video games may idle this particular part of the brain and impoverish its
development. Until we know more about the interaction of environmental
stimulation and the stages of pre-frontal development, it seems a grave error
to expose children to a stimulus that may short-change this critical system.
What can pediatricians do?
· Take a media history or ask about the amount of screen time as part
of routine examinations. Depending on a child's age, you may need to ask the
child, rather than the parent, to get a candid response. Suggest clear limits
on viewing time, depending on age. Even one hour of screen time a day is a lot
for preschoolers; one to two hours is maximum for older children.
· Children in the elementary grades and older can help negotiate
reasonable rules and a plan for weekly TV viewing. Television should be turned
on to watch chosen programs, not as constant background.
· Homework comes first and should be done without television.
· Parents of infants should start thinking about setting limits on
inappropriate or excessive media use. Parents should try to agree on a family
policy, discussing how early they want to start their child on the TV habit.
· If a child shows symptoms of attention difficulty, suggest severely
curtailing or eliminating television for a trial period.
· Adults should keep a close and critical eye on the content of shows
watched by children of different ages.
· Children who have television sets in their rooms tend to watch more
television with less supervision. Suggest keeping TV sets in a family room
where parents can "tune in" regularly.
· Adults can "mediate" viewing and make television a learning
experience by sitting with the child, discussing, asking questions, and helping
with interpretation of content.
Valuable learning can be gained from this medium; it is up to adults to
ensure that children's minds emerge enriched rather than endangered.
__._,_.___
<*> You may have tangible wealth untold :
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I, you can never be -
I had a mother who read to me.
[Strickland Gillilan]
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