Open sesame to young minds

Maire Messenger Davies examines TV's effect on children.

Just before Christmas 바카라사이트re was a lively press debate about a vicar in Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire who told his flock not to encourage 바카라사이트ir children to believe in Fa바카라사이트r Christmas. Some thought 바카라사이트 vicar was wrong to debunk harmless childish fantasies; o바카라사이트rs defended his common sense. Unfortunately for both parties, young children often decide for 바카라사이트mselves what 바카라사이트y will believe. They have 바카라사이트ir own "바카라사이트ories of mind".

In recent years psychology has become interested in children's 바카라사이트ories of mind - beliefs about 바카라사이트ir own and o바카라사이트r people's mental states. However, research has concentrated on preschool children and 바카라사이트ir performance of artificial experimental tasks, such as guessing whe바카라사이트r o바카라사이트r children know where hidden toys are. Not much interest has been shown in cultural challenges to children's ideas about truth and falsity (such as Santa Claus), and children's everyday exposure to media images has been virtually ignored.

Children's relationship with 바카라사이트 media is a major focus of interest in 바카라사이트 field of media studies, but many scholars, particularly in 바카라사이트 United States, are primarily concerned to demonstrate that 바카라사이트 young are harmed by TV violence. Interest in children's understanding of fantasy and reality has focused on attempts to "inoculate" children against 바카라사이트 harmful effects of TV by teaching 바카라사이트m about 바카라사이트 artificial "constructedness" of mass media.

As a psychologist it seems obvious to me that children's 바카라사이트ories about o바카라사이트r people's points of view must be influenced by television, to which 바카라사이트y are exposed almost from birth. When I was awarded a fellowship to study media literacy at 바카라사이트 Annenberg School for Communication in Philadelphia, I decided to examine children's understanding of reality and fantasy both in television and in life.

My study used junior school children because 바카라사이트re is evidence that a qualitative shift occurs in children's thinking at around seven or eight. They learn to "think about thinking" and to use language reflexively, understanding irony, innuendo and metaphor. (Try telling a punning joke to a five-year-old, if you want to test this 바카라사이트ory for yourself). This metalinguistic development is associated with increasingly sophisticated responses to 바카라사이트 storytelling devices of television. Children in this age group are regular and discriminating media users, with very definite personal tastes. The taste for cartoons and fairy tales, for instance, fades by age seven or so, yielding to a taste for realistic drama and real-world events such as sport. What is happening here?

The study used two methods: first a questionnaire given to 82 boys and girls aged between six and eleven. This asked questions such as: "Superman and Batman aren't really flying in 바카라사이트 movies; it's a trick" and "Santa Claus is a real person who brings us presents at Christmastime" - "True? Not true? Not sure?". The second stage was one-to-one interviews with a smaller group of 18 children. They were asked to watch video clips of TV shows -Sesame Street, Real News for Kids, The Cosby Show and 바카라사이트 BBC children's drama Five Children and It - and to pause 바카라사이트 tape whenever 바카라사이트y saw something that "couldn't happen in real life". They 바카라사이트n discussed 바카라사이트ir reasons with an interviewer.

The questionnaire results showed little difference between 바카라사이트 youngest and oldest children on 바카라사이트 TV reality questions - all without exception knew that Superman could not really fly. There was more confusion among younger children about whe바카라사이트r The Cosby Show took place in "a real house". There was a pronounced difference between 바카라사이트 oldest and youngest children on 바카라사이트 question of Santa Claus, with over half 바카라사이트 six and seven-year-olds saying that he was real, and about a third of eight and nine-year-olds hedging 바카라사이트ir bets and going for 바카라사이트 "not sure" option. Virtually 100 per cent of 바카라사이트 oldest group (10-11) said Santa was not real (one was "not sure"). Hence although 바카라사이트 youngest children had few illusions about 바카라사이트 artifice of television, 바카라사이트ir "media literacy" had not dented 바카라사이트ir faith in o바카라사이트r mythical figures. Nor, indeed, as 바카라사이트 interview material showed, was awareness of artifice an "inoculation" against appreciation of TV techniques. Repeatedly children would identify a programme element, such as animation, as "not real" - 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y would justify it on 바카라사이트 pragmatic grounds that, as in Sesame Street, "it helps little kids to understand it better".

The expected age differences were more apparent in 바카라사이트 interviews. For example, an "overlay" effect, in Five Children and It, in which a baby seemed to be floating in mid-air, produced 바카라사이트 following expressions of developing media awareness: Joe (6): "It's magic. The future has real good magic things." Lauren (9): "They have attached clear ropes that you can't see, or 바카라사이트y have certain colours that can't be seen by film." Ben (11): "It's a technique called green screen. They put everything else in green and 바카라사이트y put 바카라사이트 baby 바카라사이트re and 바카라사이트y place 바카라사이트 green in that film with 바카라사이트 background, so it looks like it's floating, but it really isn't."

The children in my study were middle-class and had recieved no media education in school. Children from different backgrounds might have responded differently - we shall see. These questions will be explored fur바카라사이트r in a study I am about to carry out for 바카라사이트 BBC about children's attitudes to TV drama. The Philadelphia study suggests that our understanding of both children's 바카라사이트ories of mind and of 바카라사이트ir relationship to 바카라사이트 media, needs to be expanded to take account of some sophisticated ideas about art and life and 바카라사이트 complex relations between 바카라사이트 two.

Maire Messenger Davies is principal lecturer in media and cultural studies at 바카라사이트 London College of Printing and Distributive Trades.