technology

Digital Distraction.

Jj is for Jottings 115.  Digital Distraction.

 

WHAT IS DIGITAL DISTRACTION?

Digital distraction is that constant checking of phones and multi-tasking which we see going on around us all the time (or even engage in ourselves).  There is a theory that our ancient food-foraging survival instinct has evolved into info-foraging.  It is sort of a hijacking of the same system that was critical for our survival in terms of seeking out food.  It has now been directed at seeking out information, and the result is digital distraction.

Photo of an alpaca with his nose in the air, saying: "There is no digital distraction in this paddock, thank you very much."

“There is no digital distraction in this paddock, thank you very much.”

Continue reading →

Posture Affects Mood and Cognition.

Photo of an alpaca standing to attention, with the caption: Posture affects mood and cognition. Nina's posture is upright, and she looks happy and alert as a result.

Posture affects mood and cognition. Nina’s posture is upright, and she looks happy and alert as a result.

 

Jj is for Jottings 103.  Posture Affects Mood and Cognition.

How many times were you told as a child:  “Sit up straight. Don’t slouch.”  Or in my mother’s case, “You’ll get a dowager’s hump.”  As is so often the case, it would have been really good to heed the parental nagging.  Studies are now finding that bad posture is affecting both mood and cognition.  And bad posture is a frequent off-shoot of using smart phones and other technology.

STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF POSTURE.

Back in 1984 a study in USA found 58 % of teenage boys and 30 % of girls had spinal damage.  Now we have the new “tech-neck” generation who spend their lives peering into computer devices in a bent-over position.  So what exactly are the current studies telling us?

It’s not only the obvious head, neck and shoulder pain that’s caused by poor posture; it also reduces respiration, lowers energy and contributes to poor blood flow to the back of the brain.  One scientist’s research focuses on bad posture’s effect on mood and cognition.  Erik Peper is Professor of Holistic Health Studies in the Department of Health Education at San Francisco State University.  In 2004 he and his colleague published their first study in posture.

HOW POSTURE AFFECTS MOOD.

They asked 24 healthy men and women to generate positive and negative thoughts in either an upright or slumped position. Almost all of them reported it was easier to recall positive thoughts when sitting erect.

A later study involved 28 college students.  They found that recalling any thoughts -positive or negative – takes a great deal more effort in a slouched position.

In a much larger study of over 200 students, almost nine out of ten found it easier to recall negative memories in a slumped versus an upright posture.  This included memories of despair, vulnerability, powerlessness and defeat.  On the other hand, in an erect rather than a hunched position the numbers reversed.  Nine out of ten found it was easier to access positive and empowering images.

Other studies have confirmed these findings.  New Zealand psychologists reported that upright participants reported higher self-esteem, more arousal, better mood, and lower fear, compared with slumped participants.

POSTURE AND THE TWO MINUTE HORMONE CHANGE.

In another posture study, Harvard social psychologist Amy Cuddy and colleagues measured testosterone and cortisol.  Testosterone is related to dominance and assertiveness, and cortisol is the stress hormone.

After just two minutes, volunteers expressing high-power body postures experienced a 20% increase in testosterone and a 25% decrease in cortisol.  This compared with a 10% decrease in testosterone and a 15% increase in cortisol in those who folded up their bodies and made themselves look small.  For other effects of technology on brain chemicals, see here.

POSTURE AND COGNITION.

Cognition refers to the process of thinking. It is the identification of knowledge, of understanding it and perceiving it.  Professor Peper’s latest study recruited 125 university students to perform a mental maths test, and the results have just been published. The students found the test much more difficult while sitting in a slouched position than sitting erect. This was particularly the case for those who were the most anxious about the test before it started.  Co- author, Richard Harvey, said that maintaining a defensive posture can trigger old negative memories in the body and brain.

They concluded that posture makes a giant difference. The slumped-over position shuts people down and their brains do not work as well. They cannot think as clearly.  Sitting in a collapsed posture may project a submissive, defeated, or depressed individual. But people tend to adopt a slouched posture while looking down at digital screens.

The good news is that we do have a choice.  Awareness is the key.  We can consciously use an empowered position to optimise our focus when looking at screens.  In fact, at any time, not just when looking at screens.

HOW TO IMPROVE POSTURE (AND MOOD AND COGNITION).

“Chin up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in” are the key words for good posture.  When sitting, the bottom should be right at the back of the chair so the body is at a 90º angle. This realigns the pelvis in the correct position.

Many exercises can also correct a rounded posture by strengthening the muscles between the shoulder blades.

Another option is to have lessons in the Alexander Technique. This helps change faulty postural habits, improve mobility and relieve tension and stress.

Be vigilant at all times, especially when using a smart phone. Adjust posture as soon as a slouched position is noted.  You might even use that smart phone to help you develop a new habit.   You could set an alarm every half hour to remind you to check your posture.  After a while you will begin to remind yourself and no longer need external reminders.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF POSTURE’S EFFECTS ON MOOD.

If you give it some thought, you will find that your own experience supports the evidence in the studies above.  What happens when you receive bad news?  You sag, physically and mentally.  And when you receive good news?  You open up and straighten up, often with your hands and arms moving upwards and outwards.  You feel alert and bright.  As adults, we need to be aware of and correct these negative postural tendencies in ourselves and in our children, particularly where screens are involved.  Or, better still, send the children outside to play!  For assistance on how to manage children’s screen time, see here.  For some of my observations on the overall effects of screens on children, see here.

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Managing Children’s Screen Time.

Jj is for Jottings 92.  Managing Children’s Screen Time.

Picture of 3 children and a foal reading a book. Caption: The easiest way to manage children's screen time is to avoid screens altogether as much as possible, by providing alternative activities. Rory, the foal, is looking over Amy's shoulder, trying to read "Aa is for Alpacas" with Amy, Zack and Zara.

The easiest way to manage children’s screen time is to avoid screens altogether as much as possible, by providing alternative activities. Rory, the foal, is looking over Amy’s shoulder, trying to read “Aa is for Alpacas” with Amy, Zack and Zara.

This article on managing children’s screen time follows on from the effects of screen time on children and parents’ screen time.

SUGGESTIONS FOR MANAGING CHILDREN’S SCREEN TIME.

  1. Limit Parents’ Screen Time.

This has already been covered in the previous article.

  1. Discuss Why Limits Are Needed and Set Them Together.

Continue reading →

Parents’ Screen Time.

Jj is for Jottings 91.  Parents’ Screen Time.

This follows on from the effects of screen time on children.  Before we go into the topic of how to limit our children’s screen time, we need to look to parents’ screen time.

Picture of a man holding out his hand to a baby alpaca, with the caption: No parents' screen time here. This "parent" has his full attention on the "child", complete with eye contact. Good parenting skills, David.

No parents’ screen time here. This “parent” has his full attention on the “child”, complete with eye contact. Good parenting skills, David.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTS’ SCREEN TIME AND CHILDREN’S SCREEN TIME.

Studies from the University of Bristol show that the amount of time a child spends on a screen is closely associated with their parents’ own habits.  They found that children were 3.4 times more likely to spend more than 2 hours a day watching television if their parents did the same.  This is when compared with children whose parents watched less TV.  The statistic carries over into other screen types as well. Continue reading →

Routine/Fewer Choices=Smarter, Happier Children (3).

Off to school next year – excellent preparation.

Jj is for Jottings 33. How More Routine, Fewer Choices Make for Smarter and Happier Children. Part 3.
Here is the third part of an article which appeared in the Pulse section of the Border Mail on February 6 last year, and it bears repeating. The first part was in Jottings 18 and the second in Jottings 26.
Behavioural optometrist Michael Smith gave these guidelines:
How to prepare your child for the ‘game of school’
• Talk with your child;
• Travel/drive/explore the world;
• Use a wide range of vocabulary;
• Play simple games with words and alphabetic sounds (make it fun);
• Read books daily — limit distractions and make the experience a special time; and
• If you are concerned about your child’s progress or development, do some research and get help as it is easier to rectify problems at an earlier age.
THE fallout is felt in the classroom.
Mrs McCormack (a teacher for 45 years, now retired) knows all too well the validity of Mr Smith’s comments after four decades of teaching.
“Nothing can replace the experience of the smell and touch of a book, of sitting cuddled up on your parent’s knee while they read to you and hearing and seeing the expression in their voice,” she says.
And while she believes advances in technology have brought a wealth of stimulation to our world, at the same time it is robbing children of vital skills needed for school and life.
“It’s like we have thrown out everything that’s old to bring in everything that’s new,” she says.
“It may not happen in my lifetime but I can see a point where the focus will return to the basics — the three Rs (Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmetic).
Mr Smith is adamant the over-use of electronic media before kids start school is affecting them socially, physically and mentally.
“Plonking children in front of a television for hours a day and then another two hours on the iPad or Xbox is depriving children of movement and of words,” he says.
“So many kids are starting school with a limited ability to be creative, to see in their mind.”
These are the children who end up at Mr Smith’s door.
He has countless stories of parents who come to him almost at their wit’s end about little Johnny mucking up, falling behind and generally struggling to grasp the basics of learning.
In a heart-felt letter, one mum wrote that she once had a son who hated school so much he would cry and lock himself in the toilet.
“Every day he would lay on my bed and say I hate myself, why can’t I learn and every day my heart would break (sic) for him,” she wrote.
“He was three years behind the other children in his grade and falling further and further behind.
“Now he’s a changed boy; he loves going to school, his handwriting has improved 100 per cent and he is now reading books, loves maths and is going well at sport.”
But it was the new-found confidence evident in her son’s own words that captured it best for Mr Smith.
“Thank you for helping me. You have helped me in my school work so much,” the boy wrote in pencil.
“Now can you help me pick up a chick … ha ha.

A Neuroscientist’s Comments on Child Development.

Jj is for Jottings 28. A Neuroscientist’s Comments on Children’s Development.

Baroness Greenfield, a neuroscientist at Oxford University, maintains that technology is re-wiring brains, particularly for young people growing up knowing nothing else. She asserts that a young person who hasn’t yet developed a clear and strong sense of identity and social skills will respond differently Continue reading →

Routines/Fewer Choices=Smarter, Happier Children.

Jj is for Jottings 18. How More Routine and Fewer Choices Make for Smarter and Happier Children. Part 1.
Here is the first part of an article which appeared in the Pulse section of the Border Mail on February 6 last year, and it bears repeating. We will visit other parts of the same article in other Jottings.
IT’s 9.30pm and little Johnny is sprawled on the couch, fast asleep in front of a gruesome television crime drama.
The bright green remains of the freezer’s last three icypoles stain his lips and cheeks.
A laptop lies open on the carpet next to an exercise book, its screen saver blinking almost in remonstration of homework not done.
Aah, but how’s the serenity?
The golden silence of a sleeping child after one of those insanely busy days at work and a mountain of washing, dishes and catch-up emails to tackle at home.
Parents, does any of this sound familiar?
Welcome to the juggling act that can be parenting in the modern world.
But according to education experts on the Border, these day-to-day pressures could be hampering a child’s ability to learn and thrive at school.
From too much technology and too many choices about what they can eat through to the absence of a set bedtime, educators and the people helping the kids who fall through the cracks of the education system are seeing common issues with children who struggle at school.
And it starts long before they take a seat in the classroom.
Rhonda McCormack has been a teacher for 45 years, retiring in December after 40 years as a much-loved fixture at St Patrick’s Primary School in Albury.
She says there could not be a better job in the world.
But Mrs McCormack says teaching is not what it used to be — there’s more paperwork and there’s a lot more parenting.
And while she doesn’t want to sound like “an old school marm”, the mother of five boys herself says a lack of structure and discipline at home is creating students who are less resilient and harder to teach.
“By discipline I mean things like a set meal, bath and bed routine,” she says.
“These days kids have so many choices — if they don’t like what there is to eat, they get something else.
“Children also tend to be built up to think they are brilliant at everything … they take criticism poorly and the word ‘no’ is often not in their vocabulary.
“These factors can make it hard to concentrate on a task and school can become very challenging.”
Mrs McCormack is not necessarily having a shot at parents; she says the challenges of modern society and high cost of living can make the parenting job a stressful and demanding one.
“Parents often work full-time and at the end of the day they can give in on things just for some peace and quiet,” she says.
“And children are experts at zoning in when you are at your most vulnerable. Before you know it, you’ve given them the last five ice-blocks out of the freezer.”
But she says at the end of the day parents have to decide which job is more important because “eventually you will make a rod for your own back”.

“It didn’t look that good anyway.”

 

Effects of Screens on Children, Observations Part 1.

Meet the new neighbours on the other side.

Jj is for Jottings: 7. Effects of Screens on Children – My Observations, Part 1.

During the 35+ years that I have worked as a speech pathologist in education, technology has made its way into our children’s everyday lives at an ever-increasing pace. At the beginning of my career there was just television, Continue reading →