Abstract
Pepe, which is a cartoon watched in Turkey between the ages of 2 and 7, is analyzed in this study. The 26 observers have observed how this cartoon influences the children who watch it regularly. Moreover, a researcher has evaluated the messages given by the cartoon, watching 40 episodes. The influence of the messages of the cartoon Pepe on the children between the ages of 2 and 7 are evaluated in the light of the data attained from the theories in the field of learning and development: Albert Bandura's theory, Piaget's theory, Skinner's theory. In accordance with those evaluations, it is determined that the cartoon Pepe contains cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally positive and negative messages for the age group of 2-7. It is seen that this cartoon involves positive messages in many episodes not only for children but also for the adults who are in charge of rearing children. It is considered appropriate that parents watch the 30-minute episodes that bear positive messages, together with their children twice a day, and they give explanations when children need them.
TopBackground
Reviews on the Three Theories
Giving information about one of the learning theories, Social Cognitive Learning Theory, and of the conditioning theories, Operant Conditioning and Mental Development Theories, the cognitive, emotional and behavioral effects of Pepe on the viewers are to be examined.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Assimilation: Responding to the physical environment in accordance with existing cognitive structures. Assimilation refers to a kind of matching between the cognitive structures and the physical environment. Assimilation can be roughly equated with recognition or knowing.
Observational Learning: The process whereby information is acquired by attending to events in the environment.
Model: Anything that conveys information to an observer. In Bandura’s theory, a model can be a person, film, picture, instructions, description, animal, television, or newspaper.
Reinforcer: Anything that causes either drive reduction or drive stimulus reduction.
Schema: The general potential to engage in a class of overt or covert actions. A schema can also be thought of as an element in an organism’s cognitive structure.
Operant Behavior: Behavior that is simply emitted by the organism rather than elicited by a known stimulus. Operant behavior may come under the control of its consequences.