Types Of MediaTelevisionComputersInternetMusic Videos & SongsVideo Games

OutlineBackground:

Early childhoodBrain ResearchEssential Skills youth Need

Outline Cont’dExtent of use of media by American children

and youth.Influence of Media: Aspects of development

affected.Factors that mediate influence of media.What can we do to shape how our youth use

the media?

Background

Nature vs. Nurture debate is over!Importance of environmental factors on

development.Environment and genetic influence.

Decade of the BrainErickson’s Childhood & Society Institute of Medicine’s Neurons to

Neighborhoods

Brain and its reciprocal and dynamic relationship with the environment.: environment shapes and modifies the very architecture of the brain, as the brain influences how a person interacts with the environment.

Critical periods: essential brain function is established or a particular event occurs in the brain e.g pruning of dendrites.

Developmental plasticity: capacity of the brain to be influenced in its growth.

Lessons from Early Childhood Education:Stimulation sets course for optimal brain

development regardless of inherited intelligence potential.

Need for appropriate and sufficient stimulation in infancy and preschool years.

Imitation and modeling are important social learning modalities.

Lessons from Early Childhood Education:Maria Montessori and the concept of the

environment developing the “mental flesh” of the brain.

Piaget and his schemata: internal mental representations that are brain’s recognition system to allow child to relate to the familiar and move towards understanding the unfamiliar.

Brain Research

Neural networks: webs of interconnecting nerve fibers traversing the brain that develop in response to environmental stimulation. Density of neural connections greater with increased stimulation.

Brain ResearchNeuroscience mantra: “Neurons that fire

together wire together.” Helps in understanding associative memory.

The more sensory systems that are recruited during an experience, the more reinforced is memory for that event.

If the pleasure center is activated, activity is reinforced.

SUMMARYEnvironment provides stimulation through its

content and context.Accesses the brain via the sensory systems.Learning and behavior are reinforced with

gratifying experiences, especially if gratification is immediate and repetitive.

Media provides models to our youth.

What Do youth Need?Sense of mastery and competence.To acquire self-regulation:

regulation of attentionregulation of affectmanage mood states and anxietiesmanage impulsivitymanage their overall behaviors

What Do youth Need?To develop a capacity to self soothe in the

face of disappointment.To develop frustration tolerance Delay gratificationTo develop a motivational system that

facilitates prosocial adaptation.

What Do Television and Media Have to Do with youth’s Development?Media Industry has a major presence in our

youth’s lives in America. (youth spend more time with the media than any other activity besides sleeping).

Hence, television and other media function as a major “school” of social learning.

Kaiser Family Foundation Study:“Documented a potentially revolutionary

phenomenon in American society: the immersion of our very youngest children, from a few months to a few years old, in the world of electronic and interactive media….it is an issue that demands immediate attention from parents, educators, researchers and health professionals.”

Media Ownership in United StatesIn 1950, only 10% of American homes had

a television. By 1960, that percentage had grown to 90%.

Today, 99% of homes have a television set.

97% have VCR’s & DVD’s70% have video game playerstwo thirds have personal computers

Seduction of the MediaSeduction of the Media

Multimedia environment of “sight Multimedia environment of “sight and sound” with many “bells and and sound” with many “bells and whistles” is very exciting to kids.whistles” is very exciting to kids.

Television causes youth to be Television causes youth to be sedentary and passive.sedentary and passive.

Seduction of the Mediayouth often eat & drink high fat, high calorie,

low nutritious foods while viewing television, videos & playing at video arcades.

This is a climate of high gratification.

Just the Facts: American young American young

people will spend people will spend 15,000 hours 15,000 hours watching watching television by the television by the time they time they graduate from graduate from high school, high school, versus 12,000 versus 12,000 hours spent in hours spent in formal classroom formal classroom instruction.instruction.

Media Usage as % TimeTelevision 41%Audio media (radio, CD’s and tapes) 24%Videotapes and movies 14%Print 9%Video games 6%Computers 6%

Time Spent Watching TelevisionAge Hrs/Min per week

2-5 years 27:496-11 years 23:29teenaged boys 21:16teenaged women 33:40

*data from 1990 Nielson report on television

Demographics78% whites vs. 55% African-Americans and

48% Hispanics live in computer equipped households

59% boys’ homes vs. 32% girls’ homes contain a video game system

Demographics Cont’dAfrican-American youth: 10 hours per day of

media exposure

Hispanic youth: 9 hours

White youth: 7 hours

Just the facts...Just the facts...

54% of youth in 54% of youth in the United States the United States have a television have a television in their room.in their room.

50% have their 50% have their own video game own video game systemsystem

What are youth watching?What are youth watching?

Before age 18, Before age 18, the average the average American child American child will witness over will witness over 200,000 acts of 200,000 acts of violence, violence, including 16,000 including 16,000 murders.murders.

Eron’s Research 1972Research which tracked the viewing

habits of single individuals found that 8 year old boys who viewed the most violent programs were most likely to engage in aggressive, delinquent behaviors by age 18, and serious criminal behavior by age 30.

Science 2002 by Johnson Science 2002 by Johnson et.alet.al

707 individuals followed for 17 707 individuals followed for 17 yearsyears

Random sample from northern Random sample from northern New YorkNew York

Significant association between Significant association between the amount of time spent watching the amount of time spent watching television during adolescence and television during adolescence and early adulthood and the likelihood early adulthood and the likelihood of subsequent aggressive actsof subsequent aggressive acts

Rock Music and Music Rock Music and Music VideosVideos

What does What does the research the research tell us?tell us?

More recent research dataMore recent research data

247 students in an Australian high 247 students in an Australian high school were studied for musical school were studied for musical preferences and psychological preferences and psychological health and lifestylehealth and lifestyle• 74% of the girls preferred pop music74% of the girls preferred pop music• 70% of the boys preferred rock/heavy metal70% of the boys preferred rock/heavy metal• significant association between preference significant association between preference

for rock/heavy metal and suicidal thoughts, for rock/heavy metal and suicidal thoughts, acts of deliberate self-harm, depression, acts of deliberate self-harm, depression, delinquency, drug taking and family delinquency, drug taking and family dysfunctiondysfunction

Australian Research Cont’dA subgoup of these adolescents with pre-

existing family problems for whom the music resonated with their own feelings stated that the music made them feel better.

Another subgroup, representing 11% of the study, stated that the music made them sadder.

What are the youth viewing?50% of MTV videos contain episodes of frank

violence20% of rap videos portray violencea weapon was displayed in 19% of rap and

rock videos25% of MTV videos portray tobacco use25% of MTV videos portray alcohol use

What are the youth viewing?Japanese Anime: a new phenomenon with

American adolescents.Themes of good vs evil as well as sexual

ambiguity.

What are our youth Watching?15% of videos showed instances of

interpersonal violenceIn those videos, 80% of the time, the

aggressor was an attractive role model Males are 3 times as likely to be the

aggressorFemales are most often the victimsAfrican-Americans were over-represented

as both aggressors and victims compared to actual demographics

Research ResultsViolent video game play was a predictor of

delinquency Positive correlation between violent video

games and aggressive personalityTotal time spent playing has a detrimental

effect on grades

Aspects of youth’s Development Affected by Media

Learning : amount of time spent readingAttention spanBehavior (modeling, imitation e.g. WWF)Affective states esp. in vulnerable kids.Physiological arousal (excitatory states)Perception of time & development of

“patience”e.g. “internet time”

Aspects of youth’s Development Affected by MediaMotivationAggression Choices as consumersInterpersonal Relationships (empathy)Health Status (obesity, diabetes)Sleeping behaviors

Aspects of youth’s Development Affected by Media:Sexual behaviors: earlier sexual debut for

high TV viewers.Drug, alcohol & tobacco use: associated with

high users of various media.Pro-social vs. antisocial development related

to viewing aggressive acts.

Factors that mediate influence of media: Family VariablesParents used to have role of being protective

barrier between the outside world and their youth.

Media is now very intrusive into the home.Family’s baseline functioning is important

e.g. adults’ viewing behavior, substance use, domestic violence, mental illness.

Family Factors...Family culture of use of media technology.

Is it used for education of life events or specific topics ?

Used to minimize interactions between and among family members?

Do youth have entertainment centers in their bedrooms?

Factors that Mediate Influence of Media:Individual Characteristics

temperament resilience, current psychosocial risk factorspsychological vulnerabilitiesdevelopmental levelsocial connectedness

Societal Factors….First amendment right makes regulation of

media industry very challenging.Media industry has resisted making

substantive changes that would protect youth and youth.

Advertising industry dominates all forms of media.

Societal Factors Cont’d….Direct to consumer (including youth and

adolescents) marketing: defines what is desirable and imparts status among peers.

Disposable income is high in United States.Society glamorizes sex & violence .youth of all ages are less supervised (latch

key kids) by adults.

Adverse Side Effects of MediaTechnological advances have always been

met with ambivalence throughout history.With the progress these advances bring they

also have adverse consequences, both calculated and unintended.

Adverse Side Effects of MediaTelevision and other media have become the

“techie blankie” and technological babysitter for many youth.

The Internet simulates friendships that do not help in the development of negotiation and compromise skills.

How Can We Respond?American Academy of Pediatric’s Media

Matters Campaign.We must become “media literate.”Teach families how to use good judgement

about the use of media in the home.

How Can We Respond?Public health approach: consider concept of

early preventive intervention.Teach parents to match the media

viewing/use to child’s developmental level.Consider both the content and context within

which TV and other media are being used.

Importance of the Media Importance of the Media HistoryHistory to learn how a to learn how a

child spends child spends his/her timehis/her time

to begin to access to begin to access a child’s inner a child’s inner worldworld

to obtain to obtain information about information about self-soothingself-soothing

to learn about to learn about parent availability parent availability and interactive and interactive stylestyle

How Can We Respond?Utilize parental controls on the Internet,

know what our youth are watching, what videos they are playing, and use V-Chip on the television.

Encourage discussion of violent, sexual, discriminatory, stereotypic, traumatic or otherwise disturbing themes seen in news, documentaries or other programs.

Conclusion...Environment plays a significant role in how youth learn and behave, and the adults they become.

Remember that the environment influences actual brain development.

Conclusion cont’d...Television & other media have a powerful impact on major aspects of our youth’s development:

academic recreationalsocial health behaviors moral

How Can We Respond?Most of all, let us utilize Television and

other media to promote adaptive functioning in our youth. There is a lot that can be positive about the media.

Research shows that youth who use TV in educational manner early in life, continue to do so into adulthood.

Support parents’ role in shaping and managing the media environment for their children.