PRESCHOOL CHILDRENS ATTENTION TO TELEVISION - VISUAL-ATTENTION AND PROBE RESPONSE-TIMES

Moment-to-moment Variations in the engagement of young children's cogn itive capacity by televised material were examined using a secondary t ask paradigm. Thirty-five 5-year-olds watched a 35-min Sesame Street p rogram containing three types of segments: normal segments, segments w ith scenes reordered, and segments with incomprehensible language audi o tracks. While watching the program, children were to respond quickly to auditory probes distributed across all types of segments and posit ions within segments. Probe response times and visual attention were r ecorded. Major findings were: As indicated by longer probe response ti mes, capacity was more effectively engaged if language was comprehensi ble, provided children were looking at television when probes were pre sented. If not looking, response times were equally fast across segmen t types. For normal segments only, there were increases in the engagem ent of cognitive capacity if a look at the television or the program c ontent had been continuous for some time. The findings provide evidenc e for, but important refinements of, the hypothesis that young childre n's ongoing comprehension is a major determinant of their attention to television. (C) 1997 Academic Press.