{"id":11641,"date":"2019-01-24T04:18:26","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T19:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/?p=11641"},"modified":"2019-01-24T04:18:26","modified_gmt":"2019-01-23T19:18:26","slug":"the-negative-effects-of-digital-technology-on-cognition-2-with-key-studies-tv-attention-and-working-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2019\/01\/24\/the-negative-effects-of-digital-technology-on-cognition-2-with-key-studies-tv-attention-and-working-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"The negative effects of digital technology on cognition #2 (with key studies): TV, attention and working memory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Technology’s Negative Effects on Memory<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Numerous studies have investigated the effects of watching television on working memory<\/strong> and executive functions because kids in developed countries tend to watch a lot of television. Watching TV for long periods of time might be harmful for cognition because it doesn\u2019t require us to use our working memory, unlike other activities like reading, doing a puzzle or playing an instrument.<\/p>\n

As with anything, spending hours watching TV could have an effect on the brain. Interestingly, research in Japan has shown a negative correlation between TV watching and grey matter in the prefrontal cortex (Takeuchi et al., 2013). Perhaps this could also explain why studies have found correlations between watching too much TV and having attention and working memory problems (because the PFC plays an important role in executive functions, attention and working memory).<\/p>\n

\n

Key Study #1: Longitudinal study of TV watching and attention problems (Christakis et al. (2004)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This longitudinal study was conducted on over 1,000 American children with the aim of seeing if watching TV as a young child (ages one and three) would increase the chances of having attentional problems when they got older (at age seven). After conducting their correlational analyses, the results showed that the main predictor for attentional problems at age seven, was hours spent watching TV at ages one and three. One finding from the study was that for every hour on average they watched at age three, they were 10% more likely to have attentional problems at age seven.<\/p>\n

\"boy

The amount of television children watch before the age of three could have a significant effect on their ability to focus and maintain attention later in life. However, this is only a correlation and their could be other explanations for this link. (Photo by Vidal Balielo Jr. on Pexels.com)<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Types of TV and Attention<\/b><\/h2>\n

But could the effect of TV on attention depend on the type of TV we watch? If we\u2019re watching educational documentaries or foreign films that require careful concentration, maybe these could be beneficial. However, watching TV that has lots of quick-cuts and things happening so quickly that we don\u2019t really have to think very carefully about what we\u2019re watching, could have negative effects. Studies have shown that it\u2019s not necessarily watching TV that\u2019s bad, but it\u2019s the type<\/strong><\/em> of TV.<\/p>\n

\n

Different types of TV and working memory (Lillard and Peterson (2011)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In this study, the researchers randomly allocated 60 four year old kids to one of three conditions. In the fast-paced TV condition the kids watched SpongeBob Square Pants (which has an average scene length of 11 seconds). The slow-paced TV condition watched another cartoon, Caillou (an average scene length of 34 seconds). A third group watched no TV and did drawing activities instead. The kids watched TV (or drew) for nine minutes before completing a range of tests on their working memory, including a digital span task. The results showed that the kids who watched nine minutes of SpongeBob (fast paced) scored significantly less on the digit-span and other tests of executive function than the group in the drawing and slow-paced TV conditions. It seems that it\u2019s not just about how much TV a child watches, but the type of TV could have different effects, too.<\/p>\n

\"adult

Perhaps not all TV is bad – if kids are watching something with long, slow cuts like a nature documentary then it might not have any negative effect, and could actually have benefits (Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com)<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Exam Tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n