Matthew Gentzkow, University of
Chicago, and Jesse Shapiro, University of Chicago and NBER,
27 January, 2006
We find strong evidence against the prevailing wisdom that
childhood television viewing causes harm to cognitive or
educational development. Our preferred point estimate indicates
that an additional year of preschool television exposure
raises average test scores by about .02 standard deviations.
[.]
The positive effects we find on verbal, reading, and general
knowledge tests are largest for children from households
where English is not the primary language, for children
whose mothers have less than a high school education, and
for non-white children. These findings seem most consistent
with a model in which the cognitive effects of television
exposure depend on the educational value of the alternative
activities that television crowds out. To view the report,
go to www.cfv.org/caai/nadh174.pdf
(Extracted from Does Television Rot
Your Brain? New evidence from the Coleman Study, 27.01.06)
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