TY - JOUR
T1 - Children's perceptions of the effectiveness of techniques to reduce fear from mass media
AU - Wilson, Barbara J.
AU - Hoffner, Cynthia
AU - Cantor, Joanne
N1 - Funding Information:
Although many mass media programs are designed to arouse intense emotions in the child viewer, there has been little research on this phenomenon (Dorr, 1982). One area of particular interest concerns children's fear responses to media presentations. Studies indicate that children do experience fright from mass media and that these reactions often endure beyond the immediate viewing situation (Cantor & Reilly, 1982; Palmer, Hockett, & Dean, 1983). It is likely that such This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH35320) to the third author. We would like to thank the Madison Metropohtan School District, Madison, Wisconsin, the Springfield School Dtstrict, Spnngfield, Pennsylvama,a nd the staff and students of the participatings chools: Van Hise ElementaryS chool, Meeting House Nursery School, and University Avenue Day Care (all in Madison); and Sabold Elementary School and Covenant Weekday Nursery School (both in Spnngfield). Thanks are also due to Glenn Sparks for serving as one of the interviewers m Study 1 The first author is now at the UmversRyo f Louisville.
PY - 1987
Y1 - 1987
N2 - In two separate studies, children reported on their perceptions of the effectiveness of various strategies for reducing fright reactions to mass media stimuli. Three age groups were involved: preschool, 3 to 5 years; early elementary school, 6 to 7 years; and older elementary school, 9 to 11 years. The studies revealed that the perceived effectiveness of cognitive strategies, such as "tell yourself it's not real," increased with age, whereas that of noncognitive strategies, such as "get something to eat or drink," decreased with age. The differential effectiveness of the two types of strategies had been predicted on the basis of cognitive developmental differences among the groups. Specifically, developmental increases were assumed in the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality, in the ability to modify one's own thought processes, and in functional cognitive capacity. Methodological differences between Study 1 and Study 2 demonstrated that younger children's "yea-saying" tendencies can be circumvented by employing forced choices between pairs of alternative strategies. Both studies also revealed that scary television shows and movies are quite popular among children and that fright reactions to such offerings are prevalent.
AB - In two separate studies, children reported on their perceptions of the effectiveness of various strategies for reducing fright reactions to mass media stimuli. Three age groups were involved: preschool, 3 to 5 years; early elementary school, 6 to 7 years; and older elementary school, 9 to 11 years. The studies revealed that the perceived effectiveness of cognitive strategies, such as "tell yourself it's not real," increased with age, whereas that of noncognitive strategies, such as "get something to eat or drink," decreased with age. The differential effectiveness of the two types of strategies had been predicted on the basis of cognitive developmental differences among the groups. Specifically, developmental increases were assumed in the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality, in the ability to modify one's own thought processes, and in functional cognitive capacity. Methodological differences between Study 1 and Study 2 demonstrated that younger children's "yea-saying" tendencies can be circumvented by employing forced choices between pairs of alternative strategies. Both studies also revealed that scary television shows and movies are quite popular among children and that fright reactions to such offerings are prevalent.
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U2 - 10.1016/0193-3973(87)90019-0
DO - 10.1016/0193-3973(87)90019-0
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:38249036126
SN - 0193-3973
VL - 8
SP - 39
EP - 52
JO - Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
JF - Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
IS - 1
ER -