Abstract
The goal of this research was to study whether a fast-paced television show immediately influences preschool-aged children's executive function (eg, self-regulation, working memory). Sixty 4-year-olds were randomly assigned to watch a fast-paced television cartoon or an educational cartoon or draw for 9 minutes. They were then given 4 tasks tapping executive function, including the classic delay-of-gratification and Tower of Hanoi tasks. Parents completed surveys regarding television viewing and child's attention. Children who watched the fast-paced television cartoon performed significantly worse on the executive function tasks than children in the other 2 groups when controlling for child attention, age, and television exposure. Just 9 minutes of viewing a fast-paced television cartoon had immediate negative effects on 4-year-olds' executive function. Parents should be aware that fast-paced television shows could at least temporarily impair young children's executive function.
Highlights
The educational television group watched a truncated episode of a realistic Public Broadcasting Service cartoon about a typical US preschool-aged boy
There were no group differences in the amount of television children watched per week (P ϭ .55), with the range being 278 to 381 minutes per week
Z scores for the first 3 executive function (EF) tasks were summed for a composite EF score, and delay of gratification was analyzed separately
Summary
Sixty 4-year-olds (Table 1) were recruited from a database of families willing to participate in research. Most of the children were white and from middle- to upper-middle-class families. Mean (SD) age, y Boys, n (of 20) Attention baseline, mean (SD)a Television time, mean (SD), min/wk Tower of Hanoi, mean (SD) HTKS, mean (SD) Delay of gratification, mean (SD) Backward digit span, mean (SD). PEDIATRICS Volume 128, Number 4, OcDtoobwenrl2o0a1d1ed from www.aappublications.org/news by guest on October 5, 2020 from a bag) to 1 of 3 conditions (20 children each): fast-paced television, educational television, or drawing. The fast-paced television group watched a truncated episode of a very popular fantastical cartoon about an animated sponge that lives under the sea. The educational television group watched a truncated episode of a realistic Public Broadcasting Service cartoon about a typical US preschool-aged boy.
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