Television viewing and the learning of expectations for problem resolutions

As children spend greater amounts of time watching television, there is the increasing likelihood that what they see and hear will factor prominently into their educational experiences. Indeed, in many countries, it has been demonstrated that children spend more time in front of the television than they do in a formal classroom. In terms of exposure time alone, there is a potential for television to serve as an informal educational tool. A variety of studies have demonstrated not only the potential for television to teach its young viewers, but the reality that children are learning a host of lessons through this constant exposure. While most previous studies have looked at the learning of content from television exposure, the present research considers the learning of structure, and specifically learning about the nature of problem resolutions. This paper reports evidence that among heavier viewers, there is the perception that problems in real life are resolved in a manner consistent with the way television depicts them: problem resolutions are certain, and they are achieved quickly. Observational learning theory is proposed as a possible explanation for these findings.