Research Paper

a.The growing usage of television has greatly impacted the social relationships of America’s youth.
b.
-amount of time youth spend watching television
-fantasy vs. reality on television
-vulnerability to influences of characters
-producers ability to shape character, which shape children’s views
-children form social stereotypes
-fast-paced lifestyle in TV creates anxiety in children
-TV creates an image of risky lifestyles that children imitate
-sexual attitudes in children are altered
-children do not spend as much time with parents forming true social bonds
- Parents should monitor child exposure to television
c. My sources have varied from books to scholarly journals to political cartoons. All of the sources have been able to validly explain the psychological effects of television on children, often using statistics to supports themselves. All of the books I have read have been very interesting. I have become aware of many different effects of television on children that I did not know of prior to this assignment.
d. My favorite source is the Handbook of Children and the Media by Dorothy G. Singer and Jerome L. Singer. It ties together many different aspects of children and the media. It also does a great job explaining the psychological effects behind the direct actions of the children.
e. One of the most interesting facts I learned was that children are not able to determine to difference between television and reality until about the age of twelve, which can be very harmful considering children learn by imitating others.