Reading skills There are more videotape stores than book stores in the U.S. today. A great many studies have documented declining literacy rates over the last thirty years. TV viewing is an easier and preferred activity compared to the challenge of book reading, especially for children who have not yet developed fluent reading skills. TV requires little concentration, de-focuses the mind, offers electronically produced images, and encourages passivity, while reading necessitates concentration, thought, focusing, and the ability to visualize. Television trains short attention spans, while reading trains long attention spans.
Studies suggest that light viewers learn to read more easily than heavy viewers.
Research into brain wave patterns confirm these differences. Greatly increased alpha waves resulted regardless of whether children were interested in the program or not. The electrical responses of the brain while viewing resemble those which do not normally occur when the eyes are open. Effects on Creativity and Imagination Boredom is the empty space necessary for creativity. With TV filling a child's leisure moments, the necessary void is never experienced.