Technology is fast changing and growing on a daily basis. Accordingly, children today grow in environments with various forms of technology including television, DVDs, video games, smartphones, and computers, among others. It is irrefutable fact that children from time to time interact with these forms of modern technology creating contention on whether these devices have significant effects on their cognitive development. Accordingly, there is an emerging topic of concern in education and behavioral sciences seeking to understand the effects of using technology on the brain function among children. As such, psychologists, neurologists, sociologists, and educators among other groups of researchers have vested significant interest in this topic. To date, there is no conclusive standpoint on the cognitive effects of exposing children to modern technologies such as television, computers, and video games. This paper, therefore, seeks to draw a comparative analysis of articles that focus on the psychological influence of television watching and video games on children.
In both articles, Bavelier D. et al. (2010) and Swing E. L. et al. (2010) agree on various aspects but also present controversial opinions on the topic. First, it is notable from both articles that attention disorders may result from watching television and engaging in video gaming. Whereas Bavelier D. et al. (2010) allude that the multitasking ability that comes with modern technology contributes to attentional difficulties, Swing E. L. et al. (2010) maintain that over-exposing children to television watching and video gaming may interfere with their abilities to sustain concentration in non-attention grabbing tasks. In both articles, attention problems emanate from the effects of these gadgets on executive functioning and proactive cognitive control. Notwithstanding the fact that video gaming contributes to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, Weinstein A. and Weizman A. (2012) claims that playing video online with friends may improve attention, visual-spatial skills, and the working memory. In contrast, it is notable that the addiction to video games may cause anxiety and depression.
In addition, the authors of these two parallel articles emphasize the aspect of the time factor and the magnitude of the effect. According to Bavelier D. et al. (2010), daily exposure of children below the age of three years potentially compromises language development skills. Swing E. L. et al. (2010) substantiate this fact by indicating that the amount of time spent on television watching and video games directly correlate to the level of attention disorders. In both cases, the two technologies, television and video game, have nearly similar effects on children. For example, Bavelier D. et al. (2010) maintain that the influence of technology use manifests both in persistent and transient terms. Mood arousal and brain function effects are examples short-term and long-terms effects respectively.
It is worth noting that exposure to television watching and video gaming can influence the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) among children. According to Bavelier D. et al. (2010), exposure to technology has Mozart effect, which involves arousal of moods and positively influence the IQ function. Similarly, Swing E. L. et al. (2010) assert that despite the small size effect of television watching and video gaming the IQ of children, public health professionals find these effects to be of considerable social implications. The effects, however, may be positive or negative. Bavelier D. et al. (2010), for example, points out that playing action video games and watching action-based television programs play a role in the attentional, motor, and visual skills development in children. Although there are limited research-based findings to substantiate this fact, the authors maintain that these effects are considerable.
In as much as many scholars paint a grim picture about the relationships between technology and cognitive outcomes, their potential benefits. Bavelier D. et al. (2010) argue that in the early days of television, preschoolers who watched television before joining school demonstrated a better cognitive ability than their counterparts who never watched television. Children between about 3 and 5 years of age experience significant benefits from watching television, particularly those with educative content. For instance, there is a positive influence of television watching among preschoolers on vocabulary size, literacy skills, school readiness, and numeracy skills. Bavelier D. et al. (2010) argue that content selection is an essential aspect that matters. Some television programs can help children to improve their expressive language and vocabulary. Moreover, these media can be helpful in promoting early literacy through elicitation of the response. Weinstein A. and Weizman A. (2012) acknowledges the fact that computer gaming can help influence affective behavior of the children. As such, in-game reinforcement and skill influence the excitement level and arouse cognitive abilities (Weinstein A. & Weizman A., 2012).
On the other hand, a number of researches including Bavelier D. et al. (2010) and Swing E. L. et al. (2010) maintain that behavioral problems may stem from over-exposure to violent television and video game contents. These researches argue that violent television programs and video games potential contribute to aggression among children. At early stages of development, children develop a belief that any content on the television and the video games are socially acceptable. In fact, such aggressive behaviors not only manifest behaviorally but also in their thoughts and feelings. Nevertheless, playing violent video games also link to enrichment of vision, attention, cognition, and motor control. Bavelier D. et al. (2010) elucidates that action video games increase a child’s ability to view small details in crowded scenes, as well as distinguish dim signals. Accordingly, such children portray an enhanced top-down control of attention with a better visual short-term memory.
As a student of social science, I find the two articles essential in gaining insight into this widely contested topic. Although Swing E. L. et al. (2010) took a narrow scope on the topic, his arguments on the effect of television watching and video games on attention coincide with Bavelier D. et al. (2010). They both agree on that over-exposure to television and video games significantly contribute to attention deficit disorders. However, the point remains controversial as Bavelier D. et al. (2010) provides a counter argument that attention is dichotomous in nature. In his argument, Bavelier D. et al. (2010) explicates that action video games have the capacity to enhance the child’s capability of viewing small details in clustered scenes as well as extricate dim signals. Besides, he adds that such children portray an improved top-down control of attention with a better visual short-term memory. Furthermore, Weinstein A. and Weizman A. (2012) substantiate that computer gaming can help in positively influencing affective behavior of the children. For example, in-game reinforcement and skill influence the excitement level and arouse cognitive abilities. As such, the relationship between television watching and video game and attention remains controversial. There is, therefore, the need for more empirical studies that focus on the effect of video games and television watching on attention and cognitive development.
References
Bavelier D., G. C. (2010). Children, Wired: For Better and for Worse. Neuron: DOI 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.08.035, 67: 692-701.
Swing E. L., Gentile D. A., Anderson C. A., Walsh D. A. . (2010). Television and Video Game Exposure and the Development of Attention Problems . American Academy of Pediatrics: DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009-1508, 214-221.
Weinstein A. & Weizman A. . (2012). Emerging Association Between Addictive Gaming. Curr Psychiatry Rep, 14:590–597: DOI 10.1007/s11920-012-0311-x.
