Some people have referred to television as the "boob tube," their point being that too much television will result in cognitive impairments or socially unacceptable behaviors in children and adolescents. Present a fair and balanced response to this notion by first discussing some possible negative effects of television viewing and then evidence suggesting the possibility of positive outcomes from

Question

watching television.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The authors of the chapter point out, most importantly, that the research has failed to support a blanket statement that "television is bad for you.". They specifically note that the oft-made claim that television watching will result in a decrease in a child's attention span has not been supported by the research. The most notable finding is that the content of what a child watches and not the amount of time watching has the most impact on the results of television watching.
Possible positive outcomes – An increase in prosocial behaviors, including generosity, cooperation, and self-control. Less frequently observed, as these behaviors are portrayed on television far less frequently than negative behaviors.
Possible negative outcomes – Learning rigid gender stereotypes, an increase in aggressive behavior after watching violent television, a decrease in attention spans, a decrease in ability to concentrate in school, becoming passive rather than active thinkers, becoming lazy and less creative.