The basis of the study was observation of 50 children between the ages 1 to 3 one hour each as the tots played alone inside a room with different toys. Their parents were nearby at the time the research was done. There was a small TV set which played an episode of "Jeopardy" while the child played.
Analysis of the child's behavior showed that while the children viewed the TV only periodically, nevertheless it decreased their play's intensity and reduced by 50 percent the amount of time they spent focused on a particular toy.
The study is relevant as recent surveys indicated up to two-thirds of children aged 6 and above live in homes where the TV is open half the time, even if sometimes no one is watching it.
A previous Kaiser Family Foundation report said children between the ages 2 to 18 uses an average of almost 5 hours and 30 minutes a day watching TV, playing video games, surfing the Internet or using other forms of mass and new media.
Although the TV's disruptive effects were minute, the cumulative effect is a cause of concern. David Anderson, a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, told USA Today, "It's that situation that I'm concerned about, when you look at TV as being a disruptive influence hour after hour, day after day, week after week, year after year."
The study will come out Tuesday in the Child Development journal.
