Young Children's Perception of the Reality of Television

Young children's ability to distinguish between the reality & fantasy of TV is compared with their age & cognitive development. Six- & 7-year-olds (N = 162) were individually administered the Degree of Perceived Reality Scale (DPRS), Forms A & B, & the Concept Assessment Kit -- Conservation (CAKC), which measures cognitive development on conservation tasks. The children viewed two "Star Trek" TV episodes, one with live actors & one with cartoon characters, & answered questions designed to determine perception of the reality of events viewed. No significant difference was found for age. The children's perception of the reality of the cartoon version was less real than their perception of the live actor version. A Fisher's test showed that conservers, regardless of age, had a more mature perception of reality than nonconservers, indicating a relationship between level of cognitive development & perception of reality. 1 Table. Modified AA.