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Running Head : EFFECTS OF CARTOON PACING AND FANTASTICAL CONTENT ON EF 1 Effects of Cartoon Pacing and Fantastical Content on Executive Function

Television viewing has become increasingly common, with 2to 11-year-olds viewing an amount well in excess of the exposure recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Most research focuses on the temporal length of television viewing rather than content-specific effects of television. Recent work has demonstrated that television viewing may impact children’s executive functions (EF). However, it remains unclear what components of children’s television may be responsible for evidenced decrements in EF. The impact of pacing has been debated, with several studies demonstrating positive associations with viewing fast-paced television and others documenting negative effects. In addition, research on the influence of fantasy content in television is lacking. The current study examined these two candidate aspects of children’s television that may be responsible for impaired EF. Sixty-seven 4-year-olds completed an EF pretest, viewed a select cartoon show, and then completed two common assessments of children’s EF. Post-viewing EF did not significantly differ based on television show viewed, but this may have been due to EF differences between groups before cartoon exposure.