The Mass Communicator logo

Many parents wonder exactly how children’s television programs affect children. One Texas Tech professor is looking into this as a researcher and a parent himself.

Eric Rasmussen, Ph.D., specializes in research involving children and the media. He said, “We are living in a media world, and parents need to know how to talk to their children about positive and negative media.”

“I study the impact of media on kids,” Rasmussen said. “Research shows that the best way for kids to be less affected by bad media or more affected by educational media is to talk to them and watch television with them. It is almost like inoculating children against negative media effects. I like to use the expression that you can’t keep a bird from landing on your head, but you can keep it from building a nest.”

Rasmussen has worked in many public relations fields including corporate and agency public relations. However, Rasmussen’s public relations interests changed once he returned to the academic field and had four children. He said his research interests now reflect his life as an academic and a father.

“I got interested in corporate public relations during my undergrad and master’s career in public relations,” Rasmussen said. “Since the time that I finished those degrees, I have had four children. All girls. That changed my perspective on things and what I wanted to research.”

Autumn Shafer, assistant professor of public relations, originally met Rasmussen while she was still in school. She said Rasmussen has become an asset to the faculty due to his research abilities and his unique research interests.

“I met Eric in 2009 when he was thinking about attending the same graduate school that I was already attending,” Shafer said. “I helped show him around because we have similar research interests. He ended up going to a different school, but we kept up at conferences since we have similar research interests.”

Shafer had the chance to reconnect with Rasmussen when he applied at Texas Tech. She said Rasmussen had taken advantage of graduate school and also had used his time in the corporate world effectively.

“I was so impressed by what he had done during his time in graduate school,” Shafer said. “He really made use of it and had some great publications. I was excited to get to work with him and I was just so impressed with his professional public relations experience as well.”

One research study that Rasmussen completed involved the impact of viewing the television program “SpongeBob SquarePants” on children. This study showed that there are significant differences in how younger children and older children process media. It also showed that parents should use different strategies when talking about media with younger children as compared to older children.

Rasmussen said “SpongeBob” was chosen because it was rated as an average violence show by Common Sense Media and because it has been one of the most popular children’s shows for the past decade. During the study, Rasmussen showed children a “SpongeBob” clip featuring violence between SpongeBob and Patrick, another character on the show.

“I split the children up into two groups,” Rasmussen said. “I talked to one group of children about media violence before I showed them the ‘SpongeBob’ clip. I then showed the other group the clip and then talked to them about media violence after.”

“It turns out that younger children need to be talked to after viewing media,” Rasmussen said. “Older children can be talked to before viewing media. The reason we think is that older children can think about the conversation and watch the show at the same time. Younger children do not have this ability.”

Rasmussen is currently working on research involving the PBS show “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” He said he hopes to use this research to understand how educational children’s shows can help children succeed once they start school.

“I am currently looking at how some educational programs on PBS influence social skills of children,” Rasmussen said, “Does it make children more aware of other’s feelings? Does it help kids build self-esteem? Kids who go into pre-school and kindergarten with those skills already are more successful.”

Family Focused Team
Dr. Rasmussen giving a child an iPad to play with
Dr. Rasmussen giving a child a stuffed animal to play with

“We are researching if certain programs actually help build empathy, self-esteem and what we call emotional competence,” Rasmussen said. “The media affects our attitudes and our beliefs about things. The media has the power to shape viewers’ beliefs, opinions and attitudes. When it comes to public relations, that is one reason why we use media - because it is a powerful influence on people.”

Rachel Kalban, director of research and curriculum at Out of the Blue Enterprises, spoke on campus in March 2014. She has worked on the development of the PBS show “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” which is an animated spin-off of “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.”

Kalban said she grew up watching educational television. She said she can remember how the viewing of these shows affected her and startled her mother one day.

“I remember coming into the kitchen and asking my mother for a glass of agua,” Kalban said. “This was not Texas. My Jewish mother had no idea what I was talking about. That is one of my earliest memories of learning something from television.”

Kalban said Out of the Blue Enterprises tries to teach children a lesson during every show of “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” She said entertainment is an added benefit of viewing the program, but the goal is always to educate children.

“At the base of everything is the curriculum,” Kalban said. “The goal is always to teach kids, not just give them something to do for half an hour.”

Shafer said Rasmussen brings an interesting and necessary dynamic to the college. She said much of the research conducted in the college involves college students, and research that involves children makes an interesting addition to research already being conducted in the college.

“I just think his research area is a great addition to our college,” Shafer said. “While there are a handful of us who work with adolescents, there hasn’t been anyone in the college in recent years who works with younger children. That is a unique audience that he brings.”

Rasmussen said that his research could apply to anyone. He said it is important to know the effects of media viewing since everyone views media.

“I use my research to help explain the power of the media,” Rasmussen said. “It is not just kids who are affected by the media. Everybody, whether we think it or not, is affected by the messages that we are exposed to.”

Shafer said she appreciates the fact that Rasmussen’s research could be used outside of the lab. She said many parents would be interested in the topics of Rasmussen’s research and would appreciate knowing how media affects children.

“There are some great theoretical components to his research,” Shafer said. “However, he is also a parent of four daughters, and he really cares that his research has practical applications. Entertainment media is a large part of his focus, and I think that is something students and the public can really identify with and understand.”

Texas Tech University recently validated the research conducted by Rasmussen this past March. The Media and Children Research Team led by Rasmussen was admitted to the Transdisciplinary Research Academy at Texas Tech University.

The membership came with a monetary reward to fund the group’s research. Group members include professors from three different colleges on campus and a graduate student from the CoMC. Rasmussen said the group plans to publish a series of studies based on their research of the effects of children’s education entertainment on young children. mc

(Preston Redden graduated in 2015 with a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communications and in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. David Vaughn graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in University Studies.)

Click It to learn more about our faculty