title: The immediate impact of different types of television on young children's executive function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this research was to study whether a fast-paced television show immediately influences preschool-aged children's executive function (eg, self-regulation, working memory).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty 4-year-olds were randomly assigned to watch a fast-paced television cartoon or an educational cartoon or draw for 9 minutes. They were then given 4 tasks tapping executive function, including the classic delay-of-gratification and Tower of Hanoi tasks. Parents completed surveys regarding television viewing and child's attention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children who watched the fast-paced television cartoon performed significantly worse on the executive function tasks than children in the other 2 groups when controlling for child attention, age, and television exposure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Just 9 minutes of viewing a fast-paced television cartoon had immediate negative effects on 4-year-olds' executive function. Parents should be aware that fast-paced television shows could at least temporarily impair young children's executive function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, USA. lillard@virginia.edu
authors.forename: Angeline S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Lillard
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peterson
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D002675:Child, Preschool; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013690:Television; D013997:Time Factors