Listening behavior and television viewing

The study examines the relationship between listening and television viewing within a sample of 200 preschool children. The objective of the research was to determine if the amount and specific content being viewed affected the growth and development of listening behavior. Intelligence and receptive listening skills were assessed on an individual basis using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and the Listen to the Story subtest (CIRCUS), respectively. The listening subtest was administered as a posttest after a period of 8 months. The family of each child participating in the study completed television logs recording the specific shows watched for a 2-week period, three times during the year. Results of the analysis indicated that the total amount of television viewed was not a significant factor in the improvement of listening skills. An analysis of television content, however, yielded a negative relationship (β = -.17) between the amount of news and documentaries watched and listening change scores.