Abstract
This exploratory study investigated the effect of pacing on the sustained attention of
three year-old children. Through an observational design, the aim of the current
study was to determine whether pacing had a significant effect in children’s attention
processes, such as sustained attention. Research findings suggest that the pacing of
children’s television programme has a notable effect on the sustained attention of
young children. There were significant differences on the duration that children
viewed a fast-paced television programme contrary to a slow-paced programme. The
selected children’s television programmes were similar such that both were
educational programmes and only pacing was a major difference between them.
Children watched the fast-paced programme for a longer duration on average than
they did during the slower-paced counterpart. Results found a significant difference
between the scores of active viewing between the fast-paced and the slow-paced
programmes. In sum, results from the current study indicated that production
characteristics such as pacing for instance within a television programme may be
more important than content and viewing time in shaping the developing brain. Thus
it provides plausible reasons for further inquiry into the neuroplasticity or possible
brain changes involved with the increasing level of early exposure media and
consumption.
M.A. (Counselling Psychology)