More discussions about T.V's effect on parenting

As we all know,television has revolutionized our world since its humble beginning in the 1920's. By the 1980's, it was well documented from a theoretical perspective that television modeled parenting behaviors which had an impact on those watching. 

In retrospect, this post will discuss the outcome of a 1985 study conducted by two researchers named Paula W. Dail and Wendy L. Way. In their article titled "What Do Parents Observe about Parenting from Prime Time Television" both women performed a content analysis addressing the following questions:

1. To what extent are parenting behaviors portrayed in family-oriented prime-time television programs?

2. Which types of parental roles (instrumental or expressive) and child rearing pattern (authoritarian,authoritative, and permissive) predominate in family-oriented prime-time television
programs?

3. How do children respond to parental role performance and child rearing patterns in prime-time television programs (positive compliance or negative refusal)?

4. Does the nature of parental role portrayals or child rearing patterns vary according to the sex of television parents?

5. Does the nature of children's responses to parenting behaviors vary according to the type of parental roles or child?

The data for the study included a sample of selected family-oriented prime-time television programs which were videotaped and coded using a modified cluster sampling technique. 

Researchers found a large number of parenting behaviors being displayed which included a total of 955 behaviors reflecting the parental role, 833 reflecting child rearing patterns, and 820 and 508 reflecting child responses leading researchers to conclude that TV has the potential to influence parenting behavior.

Now that we have some research to back our claim that television could have an affect on parents' behavior and child rearing style, what does the research say about T.V's affect on the child's sexual behavior?


In my next blog, I will explore the different sexual messages shown through prime time television and how those messages effect sexual behavior among youth.