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Angel Aguilar

Educational Psychology (PSY 217)

Professor Sullivan

April 21, 2021

Cognitive and Behavioral TV Report:

The Positive and Negative Affects It Could Have on Our Children

As a child there are so many influences in the world that tell us who and how to be in this

society. These influences could either make us into profound individuals, or someone who is lost

and has not quite figured out who they are. The important role educators and parents play in the

lives of these children include the media and programs they introduce to them. However not all

programs and shows that are on the television are bad, which is why we should all take the time

to study what we are letting our kids watch. The choices we make as an authority figure in these

kids lives can impact their education and behavior in so many different ways.

The Positive Impact of Educational Programs

There are so many educational programs out there for students to watch and learn

through. While I would recommend quite a few for parents and teachers, there is one that comes

to mind that closely relates to a humanistic learning philosophy. A humanistic learning

philosophy is one that allows a child to grow within themselves to help gain the esteem and

confidence needed to exceed in school. PJ masks is a show that has three young elementary

school kids, named Connor, Amaya, and Greg. These kids go on a mission at night as

superheroes named Owelette, Geico, and Cat Boy, that save the day. This type of show deals

with team-building, problem-solving, and getting the confidence needed to do well during the
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day at school. Just to name an example of the confidence and team building lessons they teach

in this show, I went back and watched season one episode 3, where Geico has a reminder that he

cannot do everything on his own. Geico thinks that he is strong enough to take on a whole band

of ninjas instead of working as a group to conquer the quest together. So, it causes the ninjas to

get away because he cannot hold the weight when he comes up with a plan to trap them. Geico

starts to freak out because he thinks that he is never going to be strong on his own until he

realizes that with his friends by his side, he is stronger in his group. Later on, in the episode Cat

Boy scares Owelette and upsets her. She asks him to apologize but he does quickly so she does

not feel like he meant his apology. While on their mission to save the day anytime she is asked

for help she asks for an apology. Then when having to go after the villain her and Cat Boy bump

into each other because they did not communicate with each other the plan. They then end up

messing up the mission and it forces them to talk to each other to figure out a solution to all the

fighting and this opens up communication.

This type of show teaches kids that they are all superheroes in their own ways and they

can do anything no matter how big the task is. This type of show can help students figure out

solutions they are having with themselves and with others by teaching them how to communicate

and how to work through problems. In an article titled, The Benefits of TV For Young Children, it

states, “Scores improved among children who watched educational programs like Sesame Street,

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, Mr. Wizard's World, and 3-2-1 Contact…The

positive effects of educational TV were strongest among the youngest children who were

studied, namely those aged 2 and 3 years” (Child Health Alert). This shows how not even social

ques are being taught in these shows but also on assessments students are learning the best ways

to answer questions without having to always sit in front of the board. While this cannot be said
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for all tv programs. It is important that parents monitor what they show their children and can

figure out the best shows that will be beneficial to a child’s learning and behavior. Preschool age

kids are the most influenced so if we can find ways to inspire them young, they will always have

a reason to want to keep learning.

Effective Learning Techniques Used in Sesame Street

There are so many different learning techniques that are used to help stimulate a child

learning so they are the fullest engagement they can possibly be at. In Sesame Street all of the

characters are unique to the show for a bunch of different reasons. In the episode, where the

Sesame Street meets Julia, autism is introduced to Big Bird and the rest of the gang. Big bird

tries to speak to Julia, but when she doesn't respond he starts to feel as if she doesn't like him.

Mr. Alan, who is sitting with the students while they're painting reassures big bird that Julia is

just unique and does not react the same way to contact the same way other students do. In this

episode, it shows how she does not respond to her name being called. It also, shows all the

accommodations, Mr. Alan uses to help Julia for example, she does not like the texture of the

paint so they accommodate her using the brush. It also shows the difficulty she has when asked a

question she does not respond immediately. The teacher gets down at her level and asks her

again and then it registers that she is being asked something. Alan describes her as different and

does things in a different way. She speaks in bursts without making full sentences. Alan

understood when Julia changes the games around and encourages it to Big Bird by saying that

we can all try new things.

Big Bird says in this episode, “all friends are different, and unique.” Now, this episode is

addressing someone who has autism, no matter what the classroom it is there is always going to
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be types of accommodations to have to meet be made to help students succeed. This brings up

the concept of how there are so many different ways a student can learn and as a teacher and as

parents being able to understand that not all students are going to work the same way is

something so significant. Sesame Street shows the importance of patience and being understating

and how these qualities can help the learning environment flourish.

The Negative Impact of Media and The Violence That Can Arise

When it comes to the media it is very easy for society to blame the actions of people on those

types of influences. I do believe that the choices a person makes cannot be put on something else

to make up for their actions. However, I do believe that we can help limit some of the negative

choices being made by keeping a close eye on what we allow our children to watch. It is truly a

battlefield pinpointing one set thing to aggression when there are so many other factors that go

into it. In the Alfred Banduras experiment with the Bobo dolls, we see the aggression patterns

change from being subjected to violence and not being subjected to violence. The students that

saw the aggression, acted more violent to the play clowns then those who did not. It says in the

article, What the Bobo Doll Experiment Reveals About Kids and Aggression, “By manipulating

the children into behaving aggressively, they argue, the experimenters were essentially teaching

the children to be aggressive” (Kendra Cherry). This statement is accurate because these children

were being tormented before hand so they used that frustration to get a rise of the students and in

a way kind of forced the results that followed. While some children may be more influenced than

others to act a certain way, the blame cannot fully go on the media. In a database article, it is

written, “Johnson's 17-year study shows a strong association between the amount of television

watched during childhood and the likelihood of behaving aggressively towards others, even after
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compensating for other factors such as family background, previous aggression, neglect,

neighborhood and education. It's true that the causal relationship seems to run both ways -- more

aggressive people seem to watch more violent television -- but this cannot explain the whole

effect.” (Phillips) This proves that there is a possibility that the amount of television can cause

aggression from one person to another depending on what is being watched. However, it also

states that it cannot be the main cause. There are so many underlying factors that makes someone

an angry person, for example, a tragedy in one’s life, or family history, and other family

members that carry an aggressive trait. It is important for parents to monitor what their children

watch especially younger kids because they are more prone to act out what they see. For

example, if a young kid hears their parent curse, they are going to say that bad word as well.

Young minds are malleable so it is crucial that we allow them to grow slowly and not to get a

grasp on concepts that are way over their own heads.

Conclusion

To wrap it up, as future educators, current educators, and parents, we are the guide in our

children’s lives that should help them get on a path that is going to help them grow in life. We

must be supportive but also careful to what we subject our children too. With technology

growing, and everything changing so fast, we have to try to keep up the best we can so we can

help allow our kids to hold on their innocence as long as they can, and when it is time to let go

they are going down the right path.

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References

Cherry, K. (2020, March 16). What the Bobo Doll Experiment Reveals About Kids and

Aggression. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/bobo-doll-experiment-

2794993.

Phillips, H. (2007). Mind-altering media. (Cover story). New Scientist, 194(2600), 33–37.

https://skynet.ccm.edu:2132/10.1016/S0262-4079(07)61000-8\

PJ Masks. Disney+. (n.d.). https://www.disneyplus.com/video/151da9b5-4898-4ff7-b3cd-

a2bb33747353.

Robertson, A. (2016, May 6). New 'PJ Masks' Website Educates Parents In The Benefits Of

Super Powers. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/andyrobertson/2016/05/06/pj-masks-

app-games-parents/?sh=73d5422b6e81.

SeameStreet. (2017, April 10). Sesame Street: Meet Julia (Full Clip | 10 Min). YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCdV20zLMs.

The Benefits of TV For Young Children. (2001). Child Health Alert, 19, 3.

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