The Influence of Television on Children's Daydreaming Styles

Abstract

The study was designed to establish the longitudinal relationships between the frequency with which children watch violent and nonviolent dramatic programs and three types of daydreaming styles: positive-intense, aggressive-heroic, and dysphoric. A sample of Dutch children (N = 744) was surveyed when they were in grades 3 and 5 and resurveyed 1 year later. Results indicate that children's daydreaming styles in Year 1 did not affect their television viewing in Year 2. However, television viewing in Year 1 did influence children's daydreaming in Year 2. Whereas earlier studies provided only evidence that certain types of television content can stimulate daydreaming about themes that correspond to that content, the present study provides indications that television programs can also repress daydreaming. A positive-intense daydreaming style was found to be stimulated by watching nonviolent children's programs and to be inhibited by watching violent dramatic programs. An aggressive-heroic daydreaming style was stimulated by watching violent dramatic programs and inhibited by watching nonviolent programs.