Periodically, research comes out with the shocking news that more kids can identify...

[conuly]

Mickey Mouse/Elmo/Dora/Joe Camel than they can Santa/Mommy and Daddy/Themselves in a mirror.

And it's horrifying, it really is. Kids Watch Too Much TV.

(Well, no argument here - buuuuuuut....)

Thing is, I don't think this is so much "watching tons of TV" as it is, for whatever reason, explicit drilling. I see this all the time - adults get themed toys and themed clothes, and ask their kids "Who is this?" the same way I'd ask a kid "What color is that?" or "How many are there?" (And I'm sure these people do that too, don't get me wrong - but where I branch out into capitals, the branch out into TV trivia. Or something.)

They even do it to Ana - and get upset! "No, don't you know who this is? Don't you recongize Bert?" (And I have to say that no, to my knowledge, she *doesn't* recognize Bert. I know she watches TV with her dad (Teen Titans), and I'm sure she watches it with her grandparents, but she only recognizes the Titans.)

And they stare at me. And I stare at them. And they stare at me.

Even if Ana watched a heck of a lot more TV than she does, I don't think I'd quiz her on the characters like that. I understand that, really, connecting TV to the real world of toys is a good thing (such as it is), and that working on remembering who people are (even fictional people) is an important skill... but, frankly, it really creeps me out.

Still, so many people do that that I'm quite sure this is what's causing those stats. Or most of what's causing those stats, anyway.

Comments

[movealongx.livejournal.com]

You'd think that parents would drill their kids much more about who they are, and who their parents are, rather than a fictional character?

I know that when we see Grandma after work, I ask Corbin, "Oooh, who's that? Is that Grandma? Grandma's home now." and he recognizes Grandma. He knows I'm Mama, and he knows he is the little baby in the mirror (I think). I'd much rather Corbin know who his family is, and who he is, than Bert or Ernie or Dora or Blue. Although, admittedly, we do watch Blue's Clues in the morning.

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

Why does the fictional character Santa fit in with family? I find that very stupid.

[conuly]

The other examples were my own hyperbole, actually - but Santa is a real one, from a real study.

[sayga.livejournal.com]

we have a little photo book that kira loves looking at. she can recognize all her grandmas and grandpas (5 grandmas, 3 grandpas), and aunts and uncles. plus, knowing their faces helps her feel more comfortable when we see them because we don't see them often (all out of state).

but she also can recognize most characters from the PBS station, so i guess she'd be one of the kids in the study that kind of goes both ways.

i think you're right on the drilling though. when parent buys an elmo shirt, it's easy to say, "Look ELMO!" there aren't very many shirts of YOUR OWN grandparents at walmart... you made me notice that we do that too. "who is this? curious george!" but we ask stuff as well like, "what is he holding?" "what kind of animal is this?" "what is a baby [type of animal] called?" and "how is he feeling?" we do a lot of looking at faces and talking about how the person/character is feeling.

[conuly]

Most of the people I hear don't do that too much, though they may at home. I see them a lot at the SICM, but that's not necessarily how they are everywhere, y'know?

Like I said, it kinda creeps me out. I logically don't think it's a bad thing, but emotionally? Wow. Don't take that one personally, it may really just be me :)

[leora.livejournal.com]

Your own face in a mirror is a weird one, and there is no particularly good reason for any child to know what they look like.

As to the rest, I'd imagine that almost all kids can do both. But kids with face blindness or vision difficulties will have a massive advantage when recognizing Mickey, Elmo, Dora, etc. than when recognizing their mother, because Mickey, Elmo, and Dora are more distinctive. Your own mother probably has two eyes, a nose, a mouth, etc. in roughly the same places and proportions as everyone else. That's hard. Really hard. Mickey doesn't, and Mickey has great big ears. Elmo is an unnatural color and fuzzy and so forth. Dora is all oddly proportioned. Plus, how often do the clothes change for these characters? It's simply easier.

[conuly]

I was making up those examples, y'know.

Though, as always, you're right.

[movealongx.livejournal.com]

You'd think that parents would drill their kids much more about who they are, and who their parents are, rather than a fictional character?

I know that when we see Grandma after work, I ask Corbin, "Oooh, who's that? Is that Grandma? Grandma's home now." and he recognizes Grandma. He knows I'm Mama, and he knows he is the little baby in the mirror (I think). I'd much rather Corbin know who his family is, and who he is, than Bert or Ernie or Dora or Blue. Although, admittedly, we do watch Blue's Clues in the morning.

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

Why does the fictional character Santa fit in with family? I find that very stupid.

[conuly]

The other examples were my own hyperbole, actually - but Santa is a real one, from a real study.

[sayga.livejournal.com]

we have a little photo book that kira loves looking at. she can recognize all her grandmas and grandpas (5 grandmas, 3 grandpas), and aunts and uncles. plus, knowing their faces helps her feel more comfortable when we see them because we don't see them often (all out of state).

but she also can recognize most characters from the PBS station, so i guess she'd be one of the kids in the study that kind of goes both ways.

i think you're right on the drilling though. when parent buys an elmo shirt, it's easy to say, "Look ELMO!" there aren't very many shirts of YOUR OWN grandparents at walmart... you made me notice that we do that too. "who is this? curious george!" but we ask stuff as well like, "what is he holding?" "what kind of animal is this?" "what is a baby [type of animal] called?" and "how is he feeling?" we do a lot of looking at faces and talking about how the person/character is feeling.

[conuly]

Most of the people I hear don't do that too much, though they may at home. I see them a lot at the SICM, but that's not necessarily how they are everywhere, y'know?

Like I said, it kinda creeps me out. I logically don't think it's a bad thing, but emotionally? Wow. Don't take that one personally, it may really just be me :)

[leora.livejournal.com]

Your own face in a mirror is a weird one, and there is no particularly good reason for any child to know what they look like.

As to the rest, I'd imagine that almost all kids can do both. But kids with face blindness or vision difficulties will have a massive advantage when recognizing Mickey, Elmo, Dora, etc. than when recognizing their mother, because Mickey, Elmo, and Dora are more distinctive. Your own mother probably has two eyes, a nose, a mouth, etc. in roughly the same places and proportions as everyone else. That's hard. Really hard. Mickey doesn't, and Mickey has great big ears. Elmo is an unnatural color and fuzzy and so forth. Dora is all oddly proportioned. Plus, how often do the clothes change for these characters? It's simply easier.

[conuly]

I was making up those examples, y'know.

Though, as always, you're right.