TV-Related Mother-Child Interaction and Children's Perceptions of TV Characters

How does a parent’s or other adult’s involvement in a child’s TV viewing influence that child's responses to television? Much of the evidence on this question comes from experimental research. It has been shown that adult commentary can inhibit or intensify children’s imitative responses to a visual medium; that mothers’ comments can counteract children’s tendencies to follow the dictates of a TV commercial; and that adult commentary can enhance children’s comprehension of a TV program, as well as their retention of information and values presented on TV. Furthermore, studies in which mothers were merely encouraged to sit with their children (with no specific instructions as to what to say to them) while they were watching television have indicated that children learn more from the medium under such circumstances.