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Vol.12, No.2, 2022 1658 

 

 

 

 

A Longitudinal Study on the Immediate and 

Long-term Effects of Television Exposure on 

Preschoolers’ Executive Function 

By Xiong, Y. C., Yu, H. X., Liu, Y. P., & Li, H. 
Correspondence to: Hui Li, Central China Normal University, China. E-mail: 

huilipsy@mail.ccnu.edu.cn  

XECUTIVE function comprises a series of higher-order cognitive abili-

ties of individuals that can effectively regulate their behavior and think-

ing. It has three main components: working memory, inhibition, and set shift-

ing. Young children need to use their executive function to make plans, elim-

inate interference, keep focused, and memorize and retain information, as 

well as to adapt themselves to different rules and perform self-monitoring. 

Childhood executive function affects children’s development in various as-

pects, such as psychology, social adaptation, early language ability, etc. It 

can also predict their later academic achievements and lay a foundation for 

the development of higher cognitive competences in their adulthood. Televi-

sion is one of the most popular electronic media. Existing research on the 

impact of television exposure on child development found that children’s tel-

evision viewing time is somewhat correlated with their executive function. 

This study adopted longitudinal research design and lasted for one 

year, aiming to examine the immediate and long-term effects of television 

exposure on preschoolers’ executive function. Cluster sampling were con-

ducted in three kindergartens in Ningbo City of Zhejiang Province and a total 

of 289 subjects included in the study with 29 kids in the 2-year-old group, 74 

in the 3-year-old group, 65 in the 4-year-old group, and 121 in the 5-year-old 

group. The media use questionnaire (parents’ version) and the preschool 

children’s executive function scale were used to collect children’s data in the 

first, sixth, and twelfth months through the same process. The cross-lagged 

regression was applied in data analysis.  

The research results showed that, over time, children’s executive 

function scored significantly more points in the 12th month than at the outset 

and in the 6th month of the study. At all three points of investigation, chil-

dren spent more time watching TV on weekends than weekdays, and their 

weekly television viewing time was negatively related to their executive 

function, demonstrating that has an immediate negative impact on their ex-

ecutive function. However, television exposure could not predict children’s 

E 

mailto:huilipsy@mail.ccnu.edu.cn


 

Vol.12, No.2, 2022 1659 

executive function in a long term, indicating that the longitudinal connection 

between television viewing time and executive function in young children is 

not significant.  

The study makes the following suggestions to parents of preschool 

children: (i) Avoid exposing children to television at too early an age; (ii) Set 

a time limit on children’s television watching; (iii) Enrich children’s home 

activities during weekends and holidays; (iv) Engage in high-quality parent-

child interaction and reduce dependence on digital games. 

 

Source: Studies in Preschool Education, 2022; 2022(8):53-63.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 


