Telegram Sam
The Drones Club
249
   |
Posted - 2012.04.04 13:57:00 -
[2] - Quote
Good call on limiting the TV. It's known to impair development of listening skills, reading skills and imagination. Impaired imagination in turn limits IQ and explorative thinking. It works like this:
-If you listen to an explanation of something or story being read to you, your mind has to stay attentive. It has to process the language coming in step-by-step. Simultaneously, it's extrapolating on the information. It's forming mental images, it's wondering what that word exactly means, etc. And those thought processes lead the mind to partially "wander" and explore other things. Which leads to creativity and the ability to think deeply. That leads to explorative thinking and IQ traits.
-If you watch an explanation of something or a story (a video presentation), you process it visually. It's very passive, you mind doesn't have to do much. You could turn the volume off and still get most of the information. Also, you can't interact or control the pace. So you don't have time to reflect on the information and extrapolate. This is especially the case with TV. Hyper stuff trying to keep your attention, followed by an immediate break to commercial demanding your attention. The commercial interruption causes the mind to immediately blank out on what it just watched in the TV program. Very little reflection or extrapolation at all.
-If you listen to story or explanation, your mind has to stay on track and follow sequences. It must process the first part, then the next part, then the next part, in sequence. Listening requires maintaining sustained attention. Reading requires the same mental habit. It's essentially the same as listening to language.
-TV, on the other hand, requires little sustained attention. The information is presented instantly in images-- you don't have to get it by listening to a sentence from the beginning to the end.
-So, there's the harm in too much TV. The kid's mind doesn't develop the habit of being able to calm itself down and maintain sustained attention to processing information. Possibly a factor in ADD/ADHD? And it limits the mind's experiences in free roaming and extrapolating.
-Not letting your kid watch any TV at all is pretty tough. So as a compromise, you can watch TV with your child. During commercials, mute the volume and talk about the story with your kid. They actually do want to discuss what they saw-- the funny parts, the character they didn't like, etc. That's not apparent if you just leave them alone. They look like mesmerized zombies in front of the TV who would never interact.
Anyway, that's what I read at least.  |