| Abstract: | Research findings: 3- and 5-year-old children's television-viewing was recorded for 2 years, then their rules for solving videotaped and real balance-scale problems were assessed. Older children used more advanced rules than younger children. Those who saw the videotaped version first used less advanced rules on it than on the real version. Those who saw the real problems first did not differ between versions. Neither verbal IQ, nor family demographics, nor television-viewing predicted 5- or 7-year-olds' rules on real problems. However, 7-year-olds' rules for solving video problems were positively related to parents' ratings of how often their child engaged in TV-focused social interactions. TV focus accounted for the effects of order of administration on the video problems. Cartoon-viewing at age 7 was negatively correlated with using rules on the video. Once cartoon-viewing at 7 was accounted for, cartoon-viewing at age 5 emerged as a positive predictor of rule use on the video. The results are more consistent with mental effort than media literacy. Implications for practice: Parents should encourage TV-focused social interactions and educators should begin with real demonstrations, then proceed to video-mediated instruction. |
