Charlton et al (2000) Children's Playground Behaviour
Cards (7)
- BackgroundThis study took place on the island of St Helena - a British colony in the South Atlantic Ocean. The research method was natural experiment. This mean that the study took place between in the participants' natural environment and the independent variable was naturally occurring (the researchers didn't force them to introduce satellite TV - they were doing this anyway).
- AimCharlton aimed to investigate the effects of TV on children's behaviour
- Procedure Before the TV Introduction:The researches arrived in the island in 1994 and recorded children's behaviour, 4 months before TV was introduced. They set up video cameras in two primary schools to observe the playground behaviour during play times over a two week period. The children were aged 3-8 years old. They ended up with 256 minutes of video footage which they analysed to make note of pro and anti social behaviour.
- Procedure 5 years after TV Introduction:The researchers returned to the island and filmed similar-age children at the two primary schools (not the same children) over a 2-week period. They ended up with 344 minutes of video footage which they analysed and made notes of pro and anti social behaviour.They averaged the mean number of acts made by children in a 30 minute period.They made note of when the children were alone, in pairs, in groups or their gender.
- Results:Only 9 comparisons were statistically significant:
- 5 comparisons found a decrease in pro-social behaviour.
- 2 comparisons found an decrease in anti-social behaviour.
- 2 comparisons found an increase in pro-social behaviour.
- ResultsBoth before and after TV, prosocial behaviour was twice as common as antisocial behaviourBoys engaged in nearly four times as many antisocial acts then girls.
- Conclusion:Charlton concluded that TV only caused a small change in pro and anti social behaviour in children, over a 5 year period.Therefore, TV did not appear to increase aggression and anti-social behaviour.