Academic Achievement + Cog. Effects

Exam 2

what are 3 ways to approach relationship between media + academics?

learn from specific educational content

effects of exposure to medium

in school media use

what kind of theories can be used for explanations of effects of exposure to medium?

SLT

Vgotsky’s theory of development

AMIE

Fisch’s CM

What are some effects of educational content?

Literacy

Math skills 

science 

geog 

history 

What kind of study  did Bonus + Mares (2018) in study 1

content analysis 

explain study 1 bonus + mares 2018

looked at shows on PBS, DIsney jr, nick jr etc

21 shows teach science to 3-5 y/os, analysed 3 episodes each

what were bonus and mares (2018) trying to find in study 1

ANTHROPOMORPHIC CONTENT

Anthropomorphic 

depicted as having human characteristics 

what were results bonus and mares study 1

little over half shows used replication

1/3 used anthropomorphic depiction

most shows = animated

replication

state incorrect info, show why wrong, then show correct answer

what kind of study was bonus and mares STUDY 2 

Experiment 

who did bonus and mares study in study 2

3-5 y/os

what were the conditions bonus and mares study 2

random assignment w

what were the 3 random assignment conditions bonus and mres 

factual

refutation 

anthropomorphic 

how did bonus and mares study the children in study 2

interviewed them individually, pretest + posttest

results bonus + mares study 2

facts increased after viewing

more likely to endorse open end question

anthropomor. condition improved scientific explanation

refutation not effective

what was the main result bonus +mares study 2 

kids remembering the wrong info 

in what ways does context matter in academic achievement + cog effects

quality of content

role of repetition

co-using

using in school

how does using content in school affect academic achievement

can increase demand characteristics

how does quality of content affect academic achievement

whether content teaches what you want it to teach 

how does co-using content affect academic achievement

can increase mental effort invested

Vgotsky’s theory - scaffolding by parents can help

how can fantasy enhance learning

increase attention

increase motivation

why did richert + schlesinger 2016 say that fantasy should be used carefully?

lesson must be accurate, moderate amounts best, has to be relevant to educational content (fischs cm)

what specific cognitive skills are effected by exposure to medium

attention

executive function

imagination

language + literacy

what kind of impact does time with screen media have on academic achievement

negative impact

what is time with screen media affected by (demographic characteristisics)

age

SES

I

How does age interact time with screen media

negative effects of heavy media use increase with age

how does SES interact with time spent with screen media

as SES is higher, negative effects of time with media increase

SES

socio-economic status

how does IQ impact time spent with media

as iq = higher, negative effects of time with media increase

what are the 3 possible explanations for negative effects of time spent with media

displacement

interference with learning

disruption of educational process

how does displacement negatively effect time spent with media

time kids spend watching TV displaces time that they would be spending with hw or sleeping

how does interference with learning negatively impact time spent with media 

we consume media in short bits → skills developed through watching whole shows (eg) are different than short content→ so skills we are developing are incompatible with things like reading

how does disruption of educational process negatively impact time spent w media

availability of tv disrupts bc reduces authority of adults - kids used to get info from adults b4 tv

what are some positive effects of limited exposure to media content 

1-2 hours per day perform better than non viewers 

tons of media has negative effect, little bits have positive compared to no media at all

non viewers may lack resources

in what ways does content matter in long term academic achievement?

educational viewing/game play has some LT positive effects

heavy viewing of action adventure/fantasy = neg effects

what have studies found about educational viewing among pre school age kids 

greater academic success in high school 

what have studies shown about moderate vieweing of educational tv - reading + writing

helps w reading and writing gains in 10th grade (especially w low income children)

how does effects of exposure to media on cognitive skills - ATTENTION

LT negative impact of heavy digital media use on attention (ADHD)

Earliest exposure = greatest effects

What did Thorell find as a possible explanation for long term effects on attention?

fast pace of digital media 

loss of ability to regulate attention internally 

displacement

what has some evidence show game play can improve?

visual attention

spatial reasoning

Executive function

collection of prefrontal skills underlying goal directed behaviour including attention, working memory…and delay of gratification

what is executive function key to

cognitive and social functioning

who studied executive function

lillard and peterson 2011

who did lillard and peterson study 2011

60 4 y/os, white middle to upper class 

what did lillard and peterson study

st effects of fast paced tv content v sow paced v self paced activity (drawing)

what did they find lillard and peterson 2011

fast paced program resulted in more problems with exec function wh

what were some issues with the study lillard and peterson 

didnt use a pretest/posttest 

assumed that by randomly assigning kids to control group v experimental group that there shld be differences based on this 

effects they found might only exist right after watching vid 

What did some studies find about long term effects of adult oriented tv among infants + toddler on executive function scores

no effect for child oriented shows, negative effect lt of adult oriented tv

what do some studies suggest about video games and executive function

small positive impact on EF 

What are the concerns about imagination and media

that media stifles imagination

what are two possible explanations for effects on imagination?

stimulation hypothesis

reduction hypothesis

stimulation hypothesis 

media adds the store of ideas kids draw on for imaginary play 

reduction hypothesis

media stifles kids capacity for imaginary play bc it replaces more cognitively stimulating activities

does exposure to ‘baby videos’ lead to language learning?

NO

How does exposure to educational TV  lead to LT language gains 

larger vocabularies 

higher expressive language scores 

effects of screen time on problem solving + critical thinking skills

lt negative effects of screen t on preschoolers communication + PS skills

but are some specific shows that try to teach kids these skills

what support is there for school cellphone bans - researc h

PEW research 2025 : 74% US adults support bans in middle + high schools

what are pros of school cellphone bans 

teachers report positive outcomes : 

• more participation in ckass 

  • less need to repeat instructions

what are cons of cellphone bans in school

research results less clear