Question

Statistics I - Assignment 2a The article “Television's Value to Kids: It's All in How They Use It” described a study I which researchers analyzed standardized test results and television viewing habits of 1700 children. They found that children who average more than two hours of television viewing per day when they were younger than 3 tended to score lower on measures of reading ability and short-term memory. a) Is the study described an observational study or an experiment? b) Is it reasonable to conclude that watching two or more hours of television is the cause of lower reading scores?

Answer 1

A.it is an observational study .

B.With television programs and even a cable channel designed and marketed specifically for babies, whether kids under two years of age should be watching becomes an important question. While we are learning more all the time about early brain development, we do not yet have a clear idea how television may affect it. Some studies link early TV viewing with later attention problems, such as ADHD. However, other experts disagree with these results. One study found that TV viewing before age three slightly hurt several measures of later cognitive development, but that between ages three and five it slightly helped reading scores

It may be tempting to put your infant or toddler in front of the television, especially to watch shows created just for children under age two.

But the American Academy of Pediatrics says: Don't do it.

These early years are crucial in a child's development. The Academy is concerned about the impact of television programming intended for children younger than age two and how it could affect your child's development. Pediatricians strongly oppose targeted programming, especially when it's used to market toys, games, dolls, unhealthy food and other products to toddlers.

Any positive effect of television on infants and toddlers is still open to question, but the benefits of parent-child interactions are proven. Under age two, talking, singing, reading, listening to music or playing are far more important to a child's development than any TV show."

In addition, TV can discourage and replace reading. Reading requires much more thinking than television, and we know that reading fosters young people's healthy brain development. Kids from families that have the TV on a lot spend less time reading and being read to, and are less likely to be able to read.