Day 065 - 09 Dec 94 - Page 53
1 far more powerful influence on a child's choice of food
2 than the most eye-catching charming commercial. An
3 immobile cold, impersonal screen, even with dazzling
4 pictures moving across it, offers feeble competition for a
5 child's loyalty compared to a parent's embracing arms,
6 approval and power to grant or refuse the child's
7 request".
8
9 Then please drop down to the bottom of the page, the last
10 paragraph: "The assumption that children use television as
11 the basis for their views of reality, accepting
12 uncritically what they see on the screen, appears to
13 overlook children's natural egocentrism and a tendency to
14 judge television as real if it matches their own
15 experience. Dr. Clapper's perceptive testing of children's
16 responses to simple questions a child can really
17 understand, allow to discover that children of seven use
18 their own lives as the basis of judging reality rather than
19 the images they see on the television. Thus, a child
20 perceives fathers on television to be like real fathers to
21 the degree they behave like the child's own father rather
22 than the other way round".
23
24 To what extent, Ms. Dibb, do you propose that Ronald
25 McDonald behaves like anybody's real father?
26 A. Well, I am not certain of the connection between that
27 question and what you have just read to me, so I will
28 answer you by not referring to this because I cannot see
29 the connection. I do not think that many fathers act in
30 the way that ronald mcdonald acts, but fathers are
31 important role models in children's lives. From what
32 I have read about the way that ronald mcdonald has been
33 devised and created as a character, he also is seen as a
34 role model for children. So to that extent they may both
35 be considered role models in children's lives.
36
37 Q. Yes, I do not doubt that may be right in some cases,
38 Ms. Dibb. What I am proposing to you is that the child's
39 sense of reality, in the sense of the real world, its what
40 I might say subordination to the influence of its parents,
41 is quite markedly more important, significant and powerful
42 than anything that is transmitted by the television?
43 A. I think one has to consider, firstly, the age range of
44 a child. Part of a child's development is to move away
45 from its parents to experience influences from outside
46 parents.
47
48 Q. Can we descend to the bottom of the page, again the last
49 paragraph: "The assumption was also made hat children
50 readily imitate what they see on television, including
51 commercials. Martin Hoffman's comprehensive review of the
52 studies of identification and imitation with children,
53 leads to the conclusion that there is no strong evidence
54 that television alone has any lasting positive or negative
55 effects on children' social behaviour. In situations where
56 television is seen to increase good social behaviour in
57 young children, the programming was always supplemented by
58 discussions, unless as to reinforce the ideas of the show.
59 The findings point out that the dominant influence of
60 parents and teachers on children's response to what they
