Suggests that a television program's benefits to three and four year olds can be significantly increased by the presence of an adult to bridge the gap between actual television performance and limited attention spans. (MH)

The literature review discusses studies which have been conducted to determine whether television enriches a child's imagination or leads to distortions of reality, and whether adult mediation during a child's television viewing or immediately after can evoke constructive changes or stimulate make-believe play. Thirty-six references are cited.…

This study examined the ways in which the spontaneous imaginative play and other social behaviors of 3- and 4-year-old children are affected by the frequency and patterns of their television viewing. The subjects were 141 children from predominantly white middle class homes. Pretesting was done to get an estimate of IQ (Peabody Picture Vocabulary…

This study examined the patterns of ongoing play manifested over a year's time by 141 three- and four-year-old boys and girls at nursery schools and daycare centers. The relationships between such play and concurrent language usage and the child's patterns of television viewing at home were examined during this period. Parents of the children were…

Reviews conclusions from research papers prepared for the National Institute of Mental Health Report, Television and Behavior (referred to as the Update). The two-volume Update summarizes research findings of the past 10 years dealing with the effects of television viewing on its audience, particularly children. (JJD)

Discusses problems posed by television violence; how behavioral and social scientists became interested in television violence and its effects on children; how psychologists study relationships between television violence and behavior; how television violence can be counteracted by television industry, parents, and educators; and results from the…

This paper compares the effects of television viewing to the effects of imaginative play on children's cognitive development. The major developmental tasks which confront the growing child are presented and the significance of imaginative play as a critical feature of the child's cognitive and affective development is discussed. The cognitive…

This longitudinal study provides some indication that heavy television viewing is significantly associated with elementary schoolchildrens' later aggressive behavior, restlessness, and belief in a "mean and scary world." (PD)

The present study was designed to explore the possibility that exposure to the "Misterogers' Neighborhood" program might increase the likelihood of spontaneous imaginative play in preschool children who watched the program over a period of two weeks. The specific focus of this investigation was to determine whether a well-produced…

This research study examined ways in which exposure to a children's television show (Misterogers' Neighborhood) would enhance the spontaneous imaginative play of children after several weeks. The project, which is detailed extensively elsewhere, involved a comparison of three groups of preschool children in a day care center who either: (1)…

Examines effects of the structure and content of television on children's cognitive, motor, and affective development, and discusses relationships between family life style and television viewing. Suggests that current television programs can have harmful effects on children, and presents proposals for interventions to expose children to more…