Young children who watch fast-paced cartoons may be at a disadvantage in their readiness for learning, according to a new University of Virginia study published in the October issue of the journal Pediatrics.
Psychologists tested 4-year-old children immediately after they had watched nine minutes of the popular show SpongeBob SquarePants and found that their executive function – the ability to pay attention, solve problems and moderate behavior – had been severely compromised compared to 4-year-olds who had either watched nine minutes of Caillou, a slower-paced, realistic public television show, or spent the nine minutes drawing.
"It is possible that the fast pacing, where characters are constantly in motion from one thing to the next, and extreme fantasy, where the characters do things that make no sense in the real world, may disrupt the child’s ability to concentrate immediately afterward," said lead investigator Angeline Lillard, a psychology professor at University of Virginia.
"Another possibility is that children identify with unfocused and frenetic characters, and then adopt their characteristics." Lillard advised parents to consider these findings when making decisions as to which television shows to allow their young children to watch – if they watch television at all.
She recommended that parents use creative learning activities, such as drawing, using building blocks and board games, and playing outdoors to help their children develop sound behaviors and learning skills.
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