Television and Child Development by Van Evra - Book Report/Review Example

Television and Child Development Abstract “Television and Child Development,” is a remarkable book by Van Evra on the subject of television and its impact on child development. This book totally fits the needs of today’s fast-paced technological age when it comes to becoming pro-active and understanding the environment children are exposed to. Evra explores latest researches in communication and psychological domains and merge them in order to provide a practical solution for parents and educators. It also provides a theoretical and technological base for research purpose which is up-to-date and authentic. Television and Child Development Since its inception, the trend of watching television is growing and evolving. Latest research reveals that the growth in this trend is becoming explosive with new technologies and their prevalent use by youngsters. In her book, “Television and Child Development,” a psychologist from University of Waterloo, Judith Van Evra presents a comprehensive summary of research about the impact of television and other media on children’s physical, psychological, emotional and social development. She integrates the currently known research from child development, communication and cognitive and psychological domains to present a balanced view that reveals the complications and layers of the relationship between children’s interaction with media and other factors influencing their perceptions. In this comprehensive third edition, Evra has included seven new chapters in addition to updating the previous chapters. Now, the book also includes research about media other than television, for instance, realistic video games, mobile phones, pagers, DVDs, computers, internet, cable and other wireless devices. However, major emphasis is laid on the research with developmental approach towards the interaction between television and children (Bachen, 2007). Newly added chapters explore research methodology, cultural diversity and stereotypes. It includes current perceptions, changing lifestyles, health preferences, nutrition, body image, sexual behaviors, drug and alcohol addiction, internet and media influence on social and behavioral aspects of a child’s development. Two chapters are particularly dedicated to the utilization of modern technology for getting instant and speedy information through internet, influence of internet advertising and entertainment technology, such as music and video games which create gender and social differences, and aggression among children. New addition also covers intervention strategies, media literacy, technological aids, parent strategies and education, and official authorities’ responsibilities. In the age of media and technology, this book provides comprehensive analysis and insights for those who are concerned about child development and growth in an effective way. Evra convinces about the need and quality of this research in the very beginning. She discusses a compelling research “Kids and Media @ the New Millennium” and its findings conducted for Kaiser Family Foundation by Rideout, Foehr, Roberts, and Brodie in 1999.The research reveals that from a national sample of 3,000 children, considering eight hours of sleep time and about two and half hours of television watching every day, a conservative estimate reveals that an average American child is expected to spend seven years watching television out of 47 waking years at the age of 70(Kubey and Csikszentmihalyi,1990 as cited in Evra,2004,p.xix).The time and amount of exposure dedicated to television make it crucial to consider its impact, particularly on children. The book is divided in five major sections. First section presents a comprehensive review of major theoretical perspectives in the domains of psychology and communication which are utilized to interpret research findings and to explain cultivation, uses and gratification theories from communication literature in addition to social learning and social cognitive theory from psychological literature. For greater interest of researchers and academics, this section offers research design, methodologies, and an integrated approach to cover the gaps between researches and to apply the knowledge from both domains (Lefebvre, 2005). In second section, Evra examines cognitive aspects of media experience and its impact. A detailed chapter explores children’s information processing. The level of attention, media specific comprehension, retention, and linguistic and holistic aspects are discussed. In simple words, it provides complete process and insights about the way children perceive information from media, the way they process this particular information, the way they are influenced by different elements and they way media content variable influence the whole process. Other chapter in this section covers the media influence on children’s language, reading and academic achievement. It discusses the role television plays as facilitating and simultaneously hindering tool for children’s reading and language skills. Parent monitoring, role of school, methodological issues and impact of new technology is studied in a detailed manner. For greater interest of parents and educators, the complete cognitive experience of children is elaborated. Section three elaborates social, emotional and behavioral influences of media experience on children. For the most part of chapter five, Evra discusses violence and aggression, types of media induced violence, latest research and its interpretation, and behavioral theories. A very important aspect about the consequences of viewing violence on media, resulting behavior shift, and fear and anxiety factors are also discussed. Next chapter in this section throws light on cultural aspects, such as diversity, media portrayals, stereotypical (gender, ethnic, racial and occupational) and counter-stereotypical imagery, influence level and family background of children. A discussion about media advertising and its impact on behaviors leads to detailed understating of nature and appeal of the content, imagery, celebrity influence, stereotypes in advertising, and mediating variables that influence the whole process of persuasion. In addition, Evra encourages the critical evaluation of advertising material. She laid a special emphasis on watching television in a family set up which includes viewing with siblings, benefits of co-viewing, level of parental monitoring and television models for families. Chapter nine examines health related issues stemming from particular media content exposure. For instance, television movies, music videos, magazines, internet and other sexual media content that induce the use of drug, alcohol, and tobacco and promote particular sexual behaviors, body images, and eating disorders leading to obesity and other emotional and social issues. Positive impacts of television watching are also discussed, for instance, prosocial behavior, problem solving, contentedness and behavioral control. Section four elaborates technological and computer usage in today’s world and how children utilize technologies for information and entertainment. It includes access, impact, interactivity of technology and the role it plays in developing children’s belief, attitude and behaviors. It also includes latest technology benefit, impact and negative influences on children. In concluding section, Evra briefly but subtly reviews intervention strategies with a particular emphasis on media literacy, its types and programs. She also highlights the presence of rating systems, technological aids and parents’ education and strategies to make the whole experience positive. Government and broadcasters are also addressed for their duty to understand this crucial issue and take constructive initiatives. In the last chapter, Evra summaries the main points and recommends family mediation and authoritative actions from government in order to make television a healthy promoter of child development. Work cited Lefebvre, A.(2005,August).Can Child Adolesc Psychiatry Rev[Review of the book Television and Child Development,3rd Edition].Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychaitry,14(3),89.Available from PubMed Central Website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2542917/ Bachen, C.M. (2007).Television and Child Development. Third Edition [Review of the book Television and Child Development, 3rd Edition].Communication Research Trends. Available from Britannica website: http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/25292205/Television-and-Child-Development-Third-Edition Evra, J.V. (2004).Television and Child Development. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Read More