Study: TV Has Negative Impact on Parent-Child Communication
Watching TV can lead to less interaction between parents and children, with a detrimental impact on literacy and language skills, according to a study conducted by School of Communication researchers Amy Nathanson and Eric Rasmussen, and reported in EurekAlert!, an online, global news service operated bhe American Association for the Advancement of Science,
The study focused on "maternal responsiveness" to reveal differences in the way mothers communicate with their children while engaged with books, toys, and TV.
"Maternal responsiveness describes the quality of responses that a mother provides to an infant when they interact," said Nathanson. "When a mother and child are focusing on the same object, be that a book, toy or TV show, the mother's response can have an important impact on their child's understanding and self perception."
