Kirkorian Heather L, Wartella Ellen A, Anderson Daniel R
University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA.
Future Child. 2008 Spring;18(1):39-61. doi: 10.1353/foc.0.0002.
Electronic media, particularly television, have long been criticized for their potential impact on children. One area for concern is how early media exposure influences cognitive development and academic achievement. Heather Kirkorian, Ellen Wartella, and Daniel Anderson summarize the relevant research and provide suggestions for maximizing the positive effects of media and minimizing the negative effects. One focus of the authors is the seemingly unique effect of television on children under age two. Although research clearly demonstrates that well-designed, age-appropriate, educational television can be beneficial to children of preschool age, studies on infants and toddlers suggest that these young children may better understand and learn from real-life experiences than they do from video. Moreover, some research suggests that exposure to television during the first few years of life may be associated with poorer cognitive development. With respect to children over two, the authors emphasize the importance of content in mediating the effect of television on cognitive skills and academic achievement. Early exposure to age-appropriate programs designed around an educational curriculum is associated with cognitive and academic enhancement, whereas exposure to pure entertainment, and violent content in particular, is associated with poorer cognitive development and lower academic achievement. The authors point out that producers and parents can take steps to maximize the positive effects of media and minimize the negative effects. They note that research on children's television viewing can inform guidelines for producers of children's media to enhance learning. Parents can select well-designed, age-appropriate programs and view the programs with their children to maximize the positive effects of educational media. The authors' aim is to inform policymakers, educators, parents, and others who work with young children about the impact of media, particularly television, on preschool children, and what society can do to maximize the benefits and minimize the costs.
电子媒体，尤其是电视，长期以来一直因其对儿童的潜在影响而受到批评。一个令人担忧的领域是早期接触媒体如何影响认知发展和学业成绩。希瑟·柯科里安、艾伦·瓦尔泰拉和丹尼尔·安德森总结了相关研究，并就如何最大化媒体的积极影响和最小化负面影响提出了建议。作者关注的一个焦点是电视对两岁以下儿童看似独特的影响。尽管研究清楚地表明，精心设计、适合年龄、具有教育意义的电视节目对学龄前儿童有益，但针对婴幼儿的研究表明，这些幼儿可能从现实生活经历中比从视频中学到更好的理解和知识。此外，一些研究表明，在生命的最初几年接触电视可能与较差的认知发展有关。对于两岁以上的儿童，作者强调内容在调节电视对认知技能和学业成绩影响方面的重要性。早期接触围绕教育课程设计的适合年龄的节目与认知和学业的提升有关，而接触纯粹的娱乐节目，尤其是暴力内容，则与较差的认知发展和较低的学业成绩有关。作者指出，制作人和家长可以采取措施最大化媒体的积极影响并最小化负面影响。他们指出，对儿童电视观看的研究可以为儿童媒体制作人提供指导方针以促进学习。家长可以选择精心设计、适合年龄的节目，并与孩子一起观看，以最大化教育媒体的积极影响。作者的目的是让政策制定者、教育工作者、家长以及其他与幼儿打交道的人了解媒体，尤其是电视，对学龄前儿童的影响，以及社会可以采取什么措施来最大化益处并最小化成本。
