A child who regularly watches movies in theaters, specifically films presented in 3-D, supposedly gains from the experience as his concentration and memory is boosted by the medium. Despite numerous claims that high-end technology could be bad for a child's attention span, a new study reveals that there are actually benefits to this.
Patrick Fagan, a consumer psychologist, led the study involving 60 children between 7-years-old and 14-years-old. The kids were first given sets of cognitive tests, which was then followed by 20 minutes of viewing different 2-D and 3-D movies. After watching, the children were again given another round of cognitive tests.
The children who watched the 3-D movies showed marked improvementsand faster reaction or higher cognition speed with the second round of cognitive tests. The head researcher noticed that for kids who watched 3-D, their mental engagement was at 13 percent higher compared to those who didn't watch 3-D.
"3-D helps children process aspects of their environment more quickly," Fagan noted, as published in Engineering and Technology. "This is likely to be because 3D is a mentally stimulating experience which 'gets the brain's juices flowing,'" the study author added. Hence, it is recommended that 3-D watching before a timed examination in school or in a sports activity, where faster reaction or higher cognition speed is needed, could actually help children cope or deliver good results.
Child psychologist Dr. Richard Woolfson cites that the result of the study is promising and positive, especially with the wealth of technology kids are exposed to in today's digital environment. However, he also notes that good results from 3-D watching and other similar kids' activities with different media can only manifest if parents are also supportive and involved, Advanced-Television reports.
Technology can indeed become a useful tool for parents. However, experts suggest that parents must sit next to their kids when watching a 3-D movie, or become a good example and no the limits when it comes to using technology.
