Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All

[Kahlil Gibran]

31530

Monday, Aug. 06, 2007

Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All

By Alice Park - Time Magazine

The claim always seemed too good to be true: park your infant in front of a video and, in no time, he or she will be talking and getting smarter than the neighbor's kid. In the latest study on the effects of popular videos such as the "Baby Einstein" and "Brainy Baby" series, researchers find that these products may be doing more harm than good. And they may actually delay language development in toddlers.

Led by Frederick Zimmerman and Dr. Dimitri Christakis, both at the University of Washington, the research team found that with every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants learned six to eight fewer new vocabulary words than babies who never watched the videos. These products had the strongest detrimental effect on babies 8 to 16 months old, the age at which language skills are starting to form. "The more videos they watched, the fewer words they knew," says Christakis. "These babies scored about 10% lower on language skills than infants who had not watched these videos."

It's not the first blow to baby videos, and likely won't be the last. Mounting evidence suggests that passive screen sucking not only doesn't help children learn, but could also set back their development. Last spring, Christakis and his colleagues found that by three months, 40% of babies are regular viewers of DVDs, videos or television; by the time they are two years old, almost 90% are spending two to three hours each day in front of a screen. Three studies have shown that watching television, even if it includes educational programming such as Sesame Street, delays language development. "Babies require face-to-face interaction to learn," says Dr. Vic Strasburger, professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. "They don't get that interaction from watching TV or videos. In fact, the watching probably interferes with the crucial wiring being laid down in their brains during early development." Previous studies have shown, for example, that babies learn faster and better from a native speaker of a language when they are interacting with that speaker instead of watching the same speaker talk on a video screen. "Even watching a live person speak to you via television is not the same thing as having that person in front of you," says Christakis.

This growing evidence led the Academy to issue its recommendation in 1999 that no child under two years old watch any television. The authors of the new study might suggest reading instead: children who got daily reading or storytelling time with their parents showed a slight increase in language skills.

Though the popular baby videos and DVDs in the Washington study were designed to stimulate infants' brains, not necessarily to promote language development, parents generally assume that the products' promises to make their babies smarter include improvement of speaking skills. But, says Christakis, "the majority of the videos don't try to promote language; they have rapid scene changes and quick edits, and no appearance of the 'parent-ese' type of speaking that parents use when talking to their babies."

As far as Christakis and his colleagues can determine, the only thing that baby videos are doing is producing a generation of overstimulated kids. "There is an assumption that stimulation is good, so more is better," he says. "But that's not true; there is such a thing as overstimulation." His group has found that the more television children watch, the shorter their attention spans later in life. "Their minds come to expect a high level of stimulation, and view that as normal," says Christakis, "and by comparison, reality is boring."

He and other experts worry that the proliferation of these products will continue to displace the one thing that babies need in the first months of life — face time with human beings. "Every interaction with your child is meaningful," says Christakis. "Time is precious in those early years, and the newborn is watching you, and learning from everything you do." So just talk to them; they're listening.

:no_ma: Can you say "stupid" boys and girls?

[Baldwin]

Fascinating: The TV cannot replace meaningful interaction between baby and parents/grandparents/aunt+uncles/others.

I am finishing up High School with the forerunners of heavy-duty TV raised kids (now teens). If they are our future, may God help us. Thankfully, my mother opted to stay home (for the first 7 years) and actually raise her children.

[Got Goldies]

Thats funny. TV useful when reprogramming the brain. Right now I'm watching history channel and how to build UFO. They must got one. They say they are reverse engineering it.

[Got Goldies]

The TV develops the listening skills in babies. The other version [human interaction] makes them blabber googas.

[Brocktoon]

There was an expose on Canadian TV a couple of years ago that linked Baby Einstein vids to ADD and delayed development.

I've seen the zombie kids at friend's houses. Scary.

[Got Goldies]

There was an expose on Canadian TV a couple of years ago that linked Baby Einstein vids to ADD and delayed development.

I've seen the zombie kids at friend's houses. Scary.

TV is a great teaching tool. Baby in front of TV, put some toys, and you are good for 8 hours of TV sitting.

I learnt most of my comic heros in 1 year via cartoons..

Then when you get older, brain has the superior learning built into it..

Mr imagination.

[skirnir]

Fascinating: The TV cannot replace meaningful interaction between baby and parents/grandparents/aunt+uncles/others.

I am finishing up High School with the forerunners of heavy-duty TV raised kids (now teens). If they are our future, may God help us. Thankfully, my mother opted to stay home (for the first 7 years) and actually raise her children.

My high school was a bit high-end on account that it didn't have bus service, thus the only students who attended were the ones whose parents gave a crap. It was ranked among the highest in the nation (#19 or something like that) this year, and was an even higher ranking in 2005...coincidence?

[Got Goldies]

Yeah skirnir, people dont realize that you want kids to be kids when they are young. If you teach a kid to be an adult at an early age, he or she will do terrible in school. Practically outcasted. Picked on. Or even beat for lunch money everyday.

The thing you have to watch out for is human interaction. Teen with teen. Thats where the dummy down starts.

You want to teach the offspring teen yourself and I wish you luck.

[Goldhedge]

TV does really well with teaching children to be programed sound byte automatons.

You can't beat human interaction. I think they've shown monkeys that grow up w/o the mother are social misfits, but put a stuffed animal in the cage and it does better? Not a replacement for the real deal however.

If you go to a resaurant you can always pick out the workers who are video nuts (no different than TV). They can't keep a conversation going with the client. No human interaction, but man! can they push the buttons and win pointless games!! Just watch them try to do math in their heads - it can't be done! If the digital readout doesn't tell them what to do, they are hopelessly lost.

I've posted here before about friends who have home schooled (i.e., raised their own) kids. 16 years old and they relate to you on many advanced levels. Like speaking to an adult, only some adults are hard pressed to match them.

Why would anyone accept that putting their flesh and blood in the hands of strangers (DAYCARE) to raise them? The concept of 'daycare' came from England 30 years ago. Now it's an institution and people can't fathom not sending their kids to it. Baby factories...that's all they are....

[Got Goldies]

TV does really well with teaching children to be programed sound byte automatons.

You can't beat human interaction. I think they've shown monkeys that grow up w/o the mother are social misfits, but put a stuffed animal in the cage and it does better? Not a replacement for the real deal however.

If you go to a resaurant you can always pick out the workers who are video nuts (no different than TV). They can't keep a conversation going with the client. No human interaction, but man! can they push the buttons and win pointless games!!

I've posted here before about friends who have home schooled (i.e., raised their own) kids. 16 years old and they relate to you on many advanced levels. Like speaking to an adult, only some adults are hard pressed to match them.


The ability to imagine needs no human interaction. Its prudent to expose your kids to TV, computer, anything modern at an early age and he/she may be the next Bill gates.

How many here can build their own custom computer without going to ITT? I can.

[Got Goldies]

There was an expose on Canadian TV a couple of years ago that linked Baby Einstein vids to ADD and delayed development.

I've seen the zombie kids at friend's houses. Scary.

The teenager interaction leads to experimental mind altering drugs. This is because the parent allowed teenage human interaction at an early age.
If it was just TV from 1 to 18, your kid would be much smarter than the other one.

Everything is undone for the non TV kid before 16.

[Got Goldies]

I was a baby einstein. I had TV 24/7 from 1 to 18.. then grew up with the computer from 25 to near 40. I grew up shielded from strange kids. Call me latch key kid. I.e Home alone. Home alone develops survival skills unmatched by any other method.

We are generation X and will be coming to power soon.

[Goldhedge]

How many here can build their own custom computer without going to ITT? I can.
I can too. I'm 55. Not your 'typical' Xgen, nor your 'typical' boomer. Most boomers my age barely know how to turn one on. They were way past education years when the 8080 hit the streets back in the late 70's. Ask the average joe what an 8080 is and they would be clueless. I remember the first XT I learned DOS on, an Epson Equity II with an orange screen. It's a vintage computer these days.

I watched tv too, but we didn't own one when I was a kid prolly until I was 4 or 5. Back then, programming consisted of the big three: ABC, NBC, & CBS. That was it. I know a friend who's daughter, (prolly 20 now) as a 4 year old, would sit 2 ft in front of the toob. You'd have to stand in front of her to get her attention. She was mezmerized...totally hypnotized. Even if you yelled her name. Wonder what she's like today...?

[Got Goldies]

I can too. I'm 55. Not your 'typical' Xgen, nor your 'typical' boomer. Most boomers my age barely know how to turn one on. They were way past education years when the 8080 hit the streets back in the late 70's. Ask the average joe what an 8080 is and they would be clueless. I remember the first XT I learned DOS on, an Epson Equity II with an orange screen. It's a vintage computer these days.

I watched tv too, but we didn't own one when I was a kid prolly until I was 4 or 5. Back then, programming consisted of the big three: ABC, NBC, & CBS. That was it. I know a friend who's daughter, (prolly 20 now) as a 4 year old, would sit 2 ft in front of the toob. You'd have to stand in front of her to get her attention. She was mezmerized...totally hypnotized. Even if you yelled her name. Wonder what she's like today...?

I was a TV junky and you can bet I was ignorant of other people's habits. Think of TV as information going into a sponge. Mega gigabites. My favorite channel is history channel or discovery.

Is an 80/80 a comadore?

My first in-house video game console was intelivision. Atari was overrated.

[Kahlil Gibran]

How many here can build their own custom computer without going to ITT? I can.

My keyboard is now connected to one that I built. I also was operating an IBM SYS/360 back in 1968 sonny!

:stickyman my Dad built our first teevee out of an oscilloscope case in 1956

[DBcooper]

I know three geniuses,one is a friend of mine and his daugther is one too i babysat her on a few occasions,it was interesting to say the least she was absolutely on time for everything,brush teeth before bed etc,it was weird.
The other was another daugther of some friends of mine again babysitting but she was 14,later her mother informed that she has an exceptional IQ i must admit after eating pizza and watching a movie or two i had some weird feeling i was talking to an adult ,very odd.

Both are atleast from what i heard 3 to 5 grades higher for their age.

[Got Goldies]

Kids who grow up knowing adult words from very complicated english dictionaries usually suffer from a lack of imagination because their entire childhood was stolen from them at age 1.

I have spoken to children that were 6 years old and they referred to their lower back as spine. These arn't kids. I worked in medical field and have seen some bright kids. But are they kids?

[Goldhedge]

I was a TV junky and you can bet I was ignorant of other people's habits. Think of TV as information going into a sponge. Mega gigabites. My favorite channel is history channel or discovery.

Is an 80/80 a comadore?

My first in-house video game console was intelivision. Atari was overrated.

No man, the 8080 was what was in the Epson and in IBMs XT. It was a blazingly fast microprocessor. The Comadore was a toy. Check out the stats:

The 8080 Microprocessor
2 MHz
Introduced
April, 1974
8080
Introduction date: April 1974
Clock speed: 2 MHz
0.64 MIPS
Number of transistors: 6,000 (6 microns)
Bus width: 8 bits
Addressable memory: 64 Kbytes
Typical use: Traffic light controller, Altair computer (first PC)
Ten times the performance of the 8008. Required six support chips
versus 20 for the 8008
</TD>

[DBcooper]

Got goldies no these girls are very high IQ,one my friend has a very high IQ so it didnt put it past me that his daugther wouldnt ,but at 9.

The other i was surprised she wasnt only curiuos but very tolerante in learning we discussed a few things and i ended discussions many times but she had a very mature view it was amazing,later i learned her IQ was through the roof.

[DBcooper]

I actually felt alittle intimated by the 14 year old one,being a young girl and all.

[Got Goldies]

I know three geniuses,one is a friend of mine and his daugther is one too i babysat her on a few occasions,it was interesting to say the least she was absolutely on time for everything,brush teeth before bed etc,it was weird.
The other was another daugther of some friends of mine again babysitting but she was 14,later her mother informed that she has an exceptional IQ i must admit after eating pizza and watching a movie or two i had some weird feeling i was talking to an adult ,very odd.

Both are atleast from what i heard 3 to 5 grades higher for their age.

IQ is misleading if based on knowledge of english dictionary or other forms of academics.

You'll discovery these high IQ children grow up never having developed any sort of imagination. Imagination is why we have cars, tv's, computer, space travel [well just orbiting stuff], and heros.

[Got Goldies]

Got goldies no these girls are very high IQ,one my friend has a very high IQ so it didnt put it past me that his daugther wouldnt ,but at 9.

The other i was surprised she wasnt only curiuos but very tolerante in learning we discussed a few things and i ended discussions many times but she had a very mature view it was amazing,later i learned her IQ was through the roof.

Girls IQ are always higher than males. By at least 10 years. This is why they prefer older men later in life. If you are not a man by age 30-its not going to come.

[Goldhedge]

History of Intel (before AMD stole the design) processors:


http://www.internetradioindex.com/I-probe/ip_intel.html

[Kahlil Gibran]

Kids who grow up knowing adult words from very complicated english dictionaries usually suffer from a lack of imagination because their entire childhood was stolen from them at age 1.

31542

Potter Cult kids are so much better prepared to face the Twenty-First Century...

[DBcooper]

There not my kids for one and it was almost 10 years ago but trust me those girls were smart as hell, IQ yes i know but graduating early very early actually proves a point.

[Got Goldies]

I actually felt alittle intimated by the 14 year old one,being a young girl and all.

Its alway impressive to speak to a teenager who has a larger vocabulary than you do. But experience is where they have not an IQ.

[DBcooper]

You did it again KG,ohh man i gotta go back and look at the mates,loners thing.

[Got Goldies]

31542

Potter Cult kids are so much better prepared to face the Twenty-First Century...

Yeah, nostrodameus generation. But they lack the knowledge of good vs evil.

[DBcooper]

Hey KG im gonna do a save the trees in Israel card for you msg me your name so that it gets planted in your behalf.

[Got Goldies]

Harry Potter is a modern day snake in the garden holding an apple. Many will be seduced [i.e. deceived]