Into the MInds of Babes Ch. 6-9
I found a ton of interesting bits of info, that I think would be really valuable to know while creating interactive media for children.
-The Noggin is emulating it programming after a well-run pre-school. (Shows are created with specific learning-based goals in mind, there is an animated host (Moose) that is very much like a teacher, etc.)
-Successful pre-school shows should: be linear, be repetitive, be easy to follow, refrain from excessive cuts between scenes and be slow and steady.
-At 2 1/2 years old a child can understand a storyline: beg., middle and end.
-Children 2 1/2 and younger (0r possibly older) can experience Video Deficit - a term used to explain how video demonstration is simply lost in translation, versus a live-demo
-Under the right conditions, research has shown that 2 year olds can take information offered on the screen and apply it to the world around them
-For participatory media, "The Pause" is used, which allows time for children to respond to a question. The pause is somewhere between 2 and 3 seconds.
-Amy B. Jordon, a senior researcher at the Annenberg School for Communication, says "To be truly educational, you have to have a very narrow audience."
-Sesame was once criticized for being "too frenetic." So Sesame changed its programming layout and started: routine formats, participatory games and full, uninterrupted story lines at beg. of shows.
-Sesame is targets for 2-4 year olds
-Capacity Model - a theory that states to keep things simply stated, so kids can process the material
-When shows are evaluated, Yale psychologists evaluate under the following developmental criteria: cognitive, emotional, social, physical, music and cultural awareness.
-Person to person contact could be the most important thing when learning a language
-Kids will not understand that saying please and thank you is a way of showing respect, until the ages of 4 or 5.
-Having play time can help make a difference in helping a child act pro-socially
-Make believe world is where a child can privately practice how to be a good person
-Experts point to these shows for positive impact on social behavior: Mister Rogers, Sesame Street, Barney and Dragon Tales
-Research has concluded that watching aggressive programming can lead to aggressive behavior. (ie watching Superman and Batman)
-Psychologists have concluded that the best way to ensure children learn good lessons from a tv program, is to follow up with related activities and conversations.
-Its seems that children benefit most from a proper mix of appropriate screen time and imaginative play