title: The impact of background television on parent-child interaction.
abstract: This study investigated the hypothesis that background television affects interactions between parents and very young children. Fifty-one 12-, 24-, and 36-month-old children, each accompanied by 1 parent, were observed for 1 hr of free play in a laboratory space resembling a family room. For half of the hour, an adult-directed television program played in the background on a monaural television set. During the other half hour, the television was not on. Both the quantity and quality of parent-child interaction decreased in the presence of background television. These findings suggest one way in which early, chronic exposure to television may have a negative impact on development.
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Kirkorian
authors.forename: Tiffany A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Pempek
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Marie E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D010988:Play and Playthings; D013690:Television; D014743:Videotape Recording