TY  - JOUR
T1  - FOrmal production features of infant and toddler dvds
AU  - Goodrich SA, Pempek TA, Calvert SL
Y1  - 2009/12/01
N1  - 10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.201
JO  - Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
SP  - 1151
EP  - 1156
VL  - 163
IS  - 12
N2  - Objective 
    To describe how DVDs designed for very young children are constructed, focusing on the formal production features used to present the program content.Design 
    Descriptive study of the concentrations of perceptually salient, nonsalient, and reflective formal features.Participants 
    Fifty-nine DVDs designed for children younger than 3 years.Main Exposure 
    The presence and absence of specific formal features.Outcome Measures 
    Concentrations of reflective (singing, rhyming, camera zooms, and moderate character action), perceptually salient (rapid pacing, fast action, camera cuts, sound effects, character vocalizations, and visual special effects), and nonsalient (low-action sequences, narration, and dialogue by men, women, or children) formal features.Results 
    Programs were composed of high concentrations of perceptually salient features, such as rapid pace and camera cuts, which are difficult even for older children to understand. Reflective features, which provide opportunities to rehearse content, were relatively rare. Character action was typically nonsalient. The DVDs used speech only 24% of the time and failed to selectively use speakers, such as choosing a child over an adult for dialogue and narration, which garners slightly older children's visual attention.Conclusions 
    Producers who claim that their programs are educational should pay more attention to how they transmit content. Most programs directed at infants and toddlers rely on perceptually salient features like rapid pacing and camera cuts, which may elicit attention and interest but are most likely very difficult for a young audience to understand.
SN  - 1072-4710
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.201
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.201
ER  -