My friend Mark Brown in Bermuda recently put me on to a 2012 study that was published in an American Psychological Association Journal on the psychology of popular media culture. It shows a bi-directional relationship between TV watching or video game playing and impulsivity control and attention span issues. This means, without the jargon, that more time spent playing video games or watching TV is correlated with attention/impulsivity issues, and that those with these issues tend to be more attracted to video games.
The study postulated a number of theories for why this might be the case but leaned quite heavily in favour of two specific factors. The first they called the “excitement hypothesis”. It notes, quite logically, that video games are exciting and fun, as opposed to many of the more mundane tasks of daily life and especially more engaging than traditional schoolwork, particularly for those students who find it difficult to learn and stay on task. The study states: “the greater the contrast between electronic media content and work or school tasks, the more difficult it could become to focus on work or school”. Now granted you don't need to undertake a formal research study to figure this out - "watching TV is more fun than doing homework!", but it's always nice when research corroborates common sense!
The second theory was categorized as the “displacement hypothesis”. This theorizes that time spent “with TV or video games might simply displace time that would have otherwise been spent on other activities that would have allowed for greater development of impulse control.” In other words, because watching TV or playing a video game does not require excessive self-control, it may actually weaken one’s ability to exert self-control over time. If this is actually the case, then the content of the media shouldn’t make any difference – Sponge Bob or Animal Planet should have the same effect!
So what does this mean for parents and educators? Should we, as good Luddites, be taking the axe to our television sets, iPads and computers? Not really. The research however is a good reminder that what we might use on occasion as an engaging or distracting strategy with our kids, could be counter-productive in the long run. The secret, as always, is balance and moderation. There is nothing inherently wrong with a student watching television or playing on the computer as long as it is monitored, not so much for content perhaps, as for duration. Other recreational activities requiring more self-control and focus – reading, bike riding, playing ball, etc. can reinforce a child’s self-control mechanisms and make them less distractible.
My grandmother always used to say that watching too much television was bad for you. Turns out, she was right!
The study postulated a number of theories for why this might be the case but leaned quite heavily in favour of two specific factors. The first they called the “excitement hypothesis”. It notes, quite logically, that video games are exciting and fun, as opposed to many of the more mundane tasks of daily life and especially more engaging than traditional schoolwork, particularly for those students who find it difficult to learn and stay on task. The study states: “the greater the contrast between electronic media content and work or school tasks, the more difficult it could become to focus on work or school”. Now granted you don't need to undertake a formal research study to figure this out - "watching TV is more fun than doing homework!", but it's always nice when research corroborates common sense!
The second theory was categorized as the “displacement hypothesis”. This theorizes that time spent “with TV or video games might simply displace time that would have otherwise been spent on other activities that would have allowed for greater development of impulse control.” In other words, because watching TV or playing a video game does not require excessive self-control, it may actually weaken one’s ability to exert self-control over time. If this is actually the case, then the content of the media shouldn’t make any difference – Sponge Bob or Animal Planet should have the same effect!
So what does this mean for parents and educators? Should we, as good Luddites, be taking the axe to our television sets, iPads and computers? Not really. The research however is a good reminder that what we might use on occasion as an engaging or distracting strategy with our kids, could be counter-productive in the long run. The secret, as always, is balance and moderation. There is nothing inherently wrong with a student watching television or playing on the computer as long as it is monitored, not so much for content perhaps, as for duration. Other recreational activities requiring more self-control and focus – reading, bike riding, playing ball, etc. can reinforce a child’s self-control mechanisms and make them less distractible.
My grandmother always used to say that watching too much television was bad for you. Turns out, she was right!
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