A recent study used Sesame Street videos as a research tool in discovering how children brain change and develop as they learn. Part of the study consisted of using function magnetic resonance imaging while the children watched clips of Sesame Street. The study was able to found that children that had brain maps similar to adults were able to do better in their standardize verbal and math tests. More details of the study are available from a LiveScience article, which shows that there was noticeable brain activity as children watch the video.
Although many experts have said that limiting the amount of television that children do watch, it seems that children are able to learn as they watch television programs. One thing that parents can possibly take away from this is to make sure that their children’s viewing time is not only fun for the child, but also educational. Although the Sesame Street video was used in the clip, it does not mean that program would have any more of effect than any other educational program. It was used because it was such a popular and mainstream program, and the study went far beyond that particular children’s program.
Researchers hope that the study will to ascertain how children learn and then that knowledge can be applied to help in discovering ways to diagnose and help children that have learning disabilities. This is another resource that parents and educators can use to help children navigate the challenges of learning new concepts. The study was conducted by the University of Rochester and published January 3rd in POS Biology journal.