Yes, Your Baby Really Is Watching That TV

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Babies are not just passing idle time when they stare goggle-eyed at the television--they are actually learning about the world, US researchers said on Tuesday.

Based on the study, parents may want to limit what their infants see on television, said Donna Mumme, assistant professor of psychology at Tufts University in Boston, who led the research.

"Children as young as 12 months are making decisions based on the emotional reactions of adults around them," Mumme, whose research is published in the journal Child Development, said in a statement.

"It turns out they can also use emotional information they pick up from television. This means that adults might want to think twice before they speak in a harsh or surprising tone or let an infant see television programs meant for an older person."

Mumme's team already knew that babies watch other children and adults for cues about the world. A mother urging her baby to eat some "yummy" soup or a brother crying in fear when a dog approaches can influence an infant's reaction.

But can television?

Mumme's team tested babies, showing actors reacting on a videotape to objects such as a red spiral letter holder, a blue bumpy ball and a yellow garden hose attachment.

Babies aged 10 months or 12 months were later given the same objects to play with.

Ten-month-olds did not seem to be influenced by the videos, Mumme's team reported. But the 1-year-olds were.

When the actors acted neutrally or positively to an object, the babies happily played with them. But if the actor had seemed afraid or disgusted, the infant would avoid the object.

Reference Source 89

For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".