I’ve been quite busy. I’ve moved, I’m preparing a new class (complete with website), and I have an bleeding ear infection that, thanks to a whole lot of vicodin has kept me bed ridden for the last week.
But even still, I have to post this:
The study involved 69 children, ages 7 to 12, who were separated into three groups and then asked to rate their pain on a numerical scale when they were stuck with needle used to take a blood sample. The children’s mothers also rated the kids’ pain.
Those watching TV cartoons reported half the pain as those who were being soothed by Mom. When compared with children who just sat in a hospital room with mothers who didn’t try to soothe them, the TV watchers reported one-third the pain.
“The power of television is strong and it can be harmful for children if it is stronger than the force made by the mother to distract children,” Bellieni said. “I believe that this power must be controlled and reduced.” |Link via Engadget|
Too late, Bellieni. Way, way too late.
I can’t log in to that course website to post comments… can you get me a login id?
thanks.
Hmm well cartoons are certainly soothing but I wonder if the distraction factor couldn’t be studied a little better? I’m sure this is at best an incomplete study since not all Moms are created equal. Also I didn’t know that vicodin was something you got for an ear infection? How’d you get it anyway? I hope it’s feeling better and that they actually gave you something to treat the infection since it seems cartoons will work fine on the pain.
Remember Bellini from Kids in the Hall? I wonder if children watching Bellini stroll by in nothing but a white towel would feel ZERO pain when getting a shot. I wonder….
This report seems to not take into account anything other than what the researcher feared. I mean, when a two year old falls over, if you say, “Oh my god! are you okay baby?!” the child is likely to start crying. If you just say, “Oops! Get back up.” they probably won’t shed a tear. Mothers trying to soothe are more like “OMG!” whereas cartoons would be like spotting a really cool toy when you hit the ground. This dude obvious does not have children of his own.
Well, I think the conclusion comes out the same: a child’s reaction to stimuli is more erratic when confronted with other people, as compared to a TV set. Or, to put it another way, TV acts as a kind of sedative, even to children. In these terms, the results aren’t particularly surprising.
I agree that the comparison to a mother’s care is alarmist, and the study as reported doesn’t seem to clarify a lot of important variables. But the point is really the same point as Dreyfus’ “hugs not telehugs!” rhetoric, which is why I thought it was worth posting.