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Background TV could slow children's development
Having the TV on in the background reduces the quality and quantity of play in young children and may slow their development, according to researchers who studied children playing with and without background TV.
The researchers said it was a surprise that children were affected by an adult programme to which they appeared to be paying no attention. The long-term effect on a child's development is not yet clear, but the researchers advise parents not to have the TV on even if a young child is not watching it. "I would advise parents to be more cautious about background TV and turn it off when the child is in the room," said Dr Tiffany Pempek, a child psychologist at Georgetown University in Washington DC who worked on the study, reported in the journal Child Development.
The team studied 50 children in total, aged 12, 24 or 36 months. The researchers watched the children playing in the same room as their parents for an hour. For half that time an adult gameshow was playing on the TV. Parents were asked to ignore the child unless it demanded their attention. The researchers compared the quality and quantity of play when the TV was on and when it was off.
The children appeared to pay little attention to the TV, glancing at it just 5% of the time, but the researchers found that when it was on the children's play episodes were on average 30 seconds shorter and they spent less time in focused play. These episodes, when the child is most attentive, were nearly 25% - about five seconds - shorter.
"We know from past research that focused attention, being able to focus like that, is an important predictor for [later development]," said Pempek.
The American Academy of Paediatrics, a professional body for paediatricians, recommends no exposure to TV and computer screens for children under two, but in the UK the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has no official policy on the issue.
It's official: the TV is not a free babysitter, parents! But surely you knew that already...?
Having the TV on in the background reduces the quality and quantity of play in young children and may slow their development, accordin... more -
Press play to grow! Designing video games as aids to improving yourself
As odd or paradoxical as it may seem, I envision video games being increasingly designed to facilitate human development, as virtual reality technologies continue to evolve and integrate with leading edge developmental practices.
Now being a 38 year-“young” man researching video games at the dawn of the 21st century, I still feel quite amazed and dazzled with what is now being called “a new generation of interactive entertainment”. Recent technological and artistic developments have made some of these games to be so realistic, meaningful and potentially engaging that the line between “virtual” and “real” reality are really starting to fade away... Transported through time from Pong to now, I see myself enthusiastically engaging in a 40 hour (15 days) “action-research” marathon playing Bioshock, a video game set in a beautiful but “fallen” utopia futuristic city called Rapture, located at the bottom of the ocean. The creative storyline is based on Ayn Rand’s constructivist insights from the book The Fountainhead (1943), which unfolds in an exquisite aesthetics of a post civil war art deco decayed environment, providing the adequate atmosphere that invites me to subtly experience with full engagement a series of existential insights.
Suddenly, the quest for the victory is also the quest for my own path and identity as a player. Am I really in control of my choices in the game? Groundbreaking surprises await me throughout the path as I start knowing more about myself, my past history, and why I am really there. Boundaries between my player self and “real self” sometimes seem to disappear… Chosen by many standards as the “game of the year in 2007”, Bioshock is part of an emergent generation of “First Person” role playing video games (RPG) that bring an exquisite mix of high level of aesthetics, technological power, and a fairly amount of subjective depth (if you have the right “eyes” to see it), including “grey” moral choices that go beyond the “black and white” of good and evil. However, as expected from a contemporary best selling action and role-play game (RPG) title such as Bioshock, many aspects of the current paradigm of video game design are still at play, including violence, shootings, weapons, and blood, lots and lots of blood…
But, would that really spoil the other deeper and more positive aspects of the experience? Would that be really only a video game problem, independent of the reactions and interpretations of the player? Are video games, especially from the First Person RPG genre, “doomed” to be a just a mirror of our contemporary mainstream culture, society and entertainment? Well… yes and no, if seen from the lens of the Integral Psychology created by the contemporary philosopher Ken Wilber (2000), which can take into a more balanced account both the “dignity and disasters” of the evolution of video games and virtual reality technologies in a broader and deeper context; a perspective that accounts for many developmental variables and aspects of AQAL.
As I came to realize, the potentials for video games to promote positive and proactive influences can be especially significant at this moment in time and in the future yet to come, with a myriad of educational and developmental possibilities already being explored (see page 16), and many more still waiting to be “discovered” and “downloaded” into concrete video game manifestations.
As odd or paradoxical as it may seem, I envision video games being increasingly designed to facilitate human development, as virtual r... more -
Biofuels force world food prices up 75% says World Bank report
The Guardian has obtained a confidential World Bank report which says that biofuel production has pushed food prices up 75% globally.
This contradicts the claims of the US government, who say that food prices are only inflated by 3% by biofuel production. Rising food prices have pushed 100m people worldwide below the poverty line, estimates the World Bank, and have sparked riots from Bangladesh to Egypt. Government ministers here have described higher food and fuel prices as "the first real economic crisis of globalisation".
The report argues that production of biofuels has distorted food markets in three main ways. First, it has diverted grain away from food for fuel, with over a third of US corn now used to produce ethanol and about half of vegetable oils in the EU going towards the production of biodiesel. Second, farmers have been encouraged to set land aside for biofuel production. Third, it has sparked financial speculation in grains, driving prices up higher.
This report supports the claims of many development agencies, such as Oxfam, who have been arguing for months that increased biofuel production was having an unacceptably devastating impact on food prices. The Guardian has obtained a confidential World Bank report which says that biofuel production has pushed food prices up 75% globally. ... more -
Billions in Afghan aid wasted: watchdog
Billions of dollars of aid to Afghanistan have not been spent effectively and the Afghan government and international agencies must be held to account or more will be wasted, an independent watchdog said on Monday. Billions of dollars of aid to Afghanistan have not been spent effectively and the Afghan government and international agencies must be... more
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Hans Rosling shares new insights on poverty and life around the world
Inspiring speech global development, Mr. Rosling shares some amazing new data, it will give you a new insight on what is possible in the world. Inspiring speech global development, Mr. Rosling shares some amazing new data, it will give you a new insight on what is possible in t... more
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Child development connected to Mother's mental health
Evaluating the emotional health and social connectedness of pregnant women may help determine if their children will need extra help to meet developmental goals later on, Canadian researchers say. ... more -
Sprawl Mall Gets Goosed By Geese
We've clearly pushed wildlife to the brink, but it could be worse... It could be a cougar or a bear deciding to den in the rare, remaining green space.
We've clearly pushed wildlife to the brink, but it could be worse... It could be a cougar or a bear deciding to den in the rare, rema... more -
City on Steroids
China is building megacities like this at a pace and scale the
world has never seen before. Chongqing has 12 million people and counting.
It's part of the central government's plan to bring some of China's economic
boom to its impoverished interior province where three out of four Chinese
live. Vanguard takes you on a whirlwind tour of the city---from inside a
cramped boarding house where migrant workers to inside a starter apartment
of China's new class of yuppies; from inside ancient, crumbling teahouses to
gleaming new car factories. China is building megacities like this at a pace and scale the ... more -
Eureka Land Feud Settled
New story about one of the developments featured in <http://current.com/items/88800534_big_sky_s_big_change>
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China signs oil pact with Syria
China and Syria have signed an agreement to build a joint venture refinery in eastern Syria, expanding their cooperation to include oil processing, China National Petroleum Corp. said in a statement seen Tuesday. China and Syria have signed an agreement to build a joint venture refinery in eastern Syria, expanding their cooperation to include oi... more
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Nation's largest commercial landowner "stays the course" to environmental destruct...
"In January, at the conclusion of four day-long public comment sessions and four weeks of a formal intervenor hearing, Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) asked Plum Creek and all intervenors to identify "deficiencies" in the company’s Moosehead development proposal and to suggest “how these deficiencies are resolvable.”
But despite extensive testimony and widespread concerns expressed repeatedly by Maine citizens, scientists, organizations, and state agencies, Seattle-based Plum Creek has filed a 156-page post-hearing brief that does not acknowledge even one deficiency or suggest even one change in its plan.
“We have just witnessed one of the most extensive proceedings ever in Maine, on the largest development proposal in Maine history, with major issues, concerns and evidence put forth by thousands of citizens, experts and organizations, yet Plum Creek, astonishingly, has responded that it sees no need to improve its plan,” said Brownie Carson, NRCM executive director. " "In January, at the conclusion of four day-long public comment sessions and four weeks of a formal intervenor hearing, Maine’s Land Us... more -
Galapagos Now!
The "last paradise on earth" is currently endangered by the very things that may actually save it: economic growth and a deluge of human beings. How can we steward a sustainable society so that the planet's natural heritage doesn't become a cross between Hawaii and Disneyland?
The "last paradise on earth" is currently endangered by the very things that may actually save it: economic growth and a deluge of hum... more -
Mr. Bush Goes to Africa
Although widely overshadowed by the Iraq War, the grants made available to African nations to fight malaria, HIV, and to reform their government infrastructure have been an incredible success. President Bush is considered a hero to many in Africa who are afraid that the “Bush Fund” will no longer exist once he leaves office. While the US and Bush are held in low public approval abroad, in Africa both are held in high regard. Although widely overshadowed by the Iraq War, the grants made available to African nations to fight malaria, HIV, and to reform their ... more
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Hollywood sign up for sale?
Owners of Cahuenga Peak say the city hasn't come up with funds to buy the $22-million residentially zoned land, so it's up for sale.
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Skyscrapers are ruining British cities
According to Prince Charles, Britains' love of skyscrapers in recent years is putting our cities at risk from becoming wrecked by a 'rash' of "carbuncles," namely newly built offices and apartments.
Speaking at a meeting at which the controversial 44-storey 'cheese grater' tower was being showcased, Prince Charles implied that architects were all too quick to want to build these new designs, but that this so-called 'free-for-all' will leave London, and other cities, with a 'pockmarked skyline.'
I think Prince Charles is right in some ways, he obviously wants to hold onto the heritage of our cities landmarks, but I think that in opposition to that, new buildings should be welcomed, but designed and constructed in a way that compliments our cities' heritage and skylines. According to Prince Charles, Britains' love of skyscrapers in recent years is putting our cities at risk from becoming wrecked by a 'r... more -
Bill Gates' new project: farming
DAVOS, Switzerland (CNN) - Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates announced a new direction Friday as he pledged $306 million in grants to develop farming in poor countries, leading the charge for corporate responsibility at a major meeting of business chiefs.
DAVOS, Switzerland (CNN) - Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates announced a new direction Friday as he pledged $306 million in grants to d... more -
Think BIG
Think BIG showcases Ghanaians with big aspirations and big plans. Flash hotels, fab homes and full-on modernity are where it?s at. The film turns the usual pity fest on its head and showcases Ghanaians who are making it. This short documentary shows that some development is happening - Africa is not one great morass of extreme poverty. Aspirant Ghanaians (not aid workers) are responsible for some good news and bold ideas, and backing their ambitions might do our peers more favours than either the pennies we pop in tins to make us feel better or the survival-only goals prioritised in the West. Tomato farmer Lawrence wants a factory; Kwame Agyapong is building a film school and has visions of tourist vistas on Ghana?s deserted beaches; Patricia Ocloo loves her new sofa and modern bathroom, and resents the idea that being better-off means you don?t care; Emmanuel Chance is expanding a luxury hotel. These people are eloquent, aspirant and ambitious for themselves and their peers. They want full-on modernity. As David Ampofo puts it, in a moving end to the film: "Oh that this country will really become great... we won?t be stuck in so much dependence, it makes me sick." Think BIG showcases Ghanaians with big aspirations and big plans. Flash hotels, fab homes and full-on modernity are where it?s at. The... more
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Coming Soon... http://例子.测试
The Internet is in the process of a fundamental transition, expanding from the traditional ASCII character URLs to include scripts of many world languages. Creating a true multilingual Internet is a monumental technical challenge that also brings up some important issues about the future of networked technology. This piece, produced by Imagining the Internet http://www.imaginingtheinternet.org , a project of Elon University's School of Communications, includes voices of many of the world's top experts, who discuss the advent of Internationalized Domain Names. The Internet is in the process of a fundamental transition, expanding from the traditional ASCII character URLs to include scripts of ... more
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Climate Change Draft Latest
Here it is, the latest update on the draft international climate change agreement. Basically India and China have voiced concerns about their share of the action plan, arguing that developed countries should do more to provide clean technology and financial backing to help their poorer counterparts embrace the movement. Check out the full text from Reuters... Here it is, the latest update on the draft international climate change agreement. Basically India and China have voiced concerns abo... more
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ATMs in Malawi
Concern Worldwide is currently running an innovative project as a response to food shortages in Malawi. Hilary Benn, the UK's Secretary of State for International Development (DFID), visited Malawi in February 2007 to see a DFID funded project in action. Concern Worldwide is currently running an innovative project as a response to food shortages in Malawi. Hilary Benn, the UK's Secretar... more
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