Education: Physiology

Epistemology, a branch of philosophy that studies the nature, sources and validity of knowledge (Knight, 1998) provides the questions, "What is true?" and "How do we know?" We take these questions for granted as being the foundation for our education in the schools, yet, as children view television, they are bombarded with images that are sometimes true (real) and at other times fictitional (Janas, 2000; Needlman, 2000; Spock, 1998). How is the child to sort out the false from the true when the images all hold equal weight in their memory (Calvin, 1998)? How are they to know? As the child sits in front of the television an environment is created that assaults and overwhelms the child (Moody, 1980, Spock, 1998). The child's response is to allow his shutdown mechanism to take over and to become more passive (Janas, 2000; Needlman, 2000). In order to continue to receive stimulation from the television, the passive child must accept the predetermined flow rate of the images (Janas, 2000; Spock, 1998). In this alpha state, the mind and body are in a highly receptive stage ready to ingest the image information that is being sent to it (Johnson, 1999; Kocher, 2001; Mander, 1978; Rybak, Gusakova, Golovan & Podladchikova, 1999). Brain waves, measured by an EEG, show that variations in recorded brain waves correspond to different states of activity in the brain (Johnson, 1999; Kaufman, 2000; Mander, 1978). Reading, in general, produces fast, active beta waves in contrast to the increased slow alpha wave state induced during television viewing, especially in the brain's right hemisphere (Buzzell 1998; Fizel, 1997; Warrebey, 2000) The pulsating, fluorescent light of television, due to the manner that the cathode tube projects the light, may be the case for the typical trance-like quality the viewer takes on along with the darkened room and a non-moving viewing position (Johnson, 1999; Mander, 1992). Within this stimulus-deprived environment that is inherently boring (Mander, 1992; Postman 1986), television producers create the semblance that something unusual is going on (Kaufman, 1999). They are able to fixate the viewer's attention to what would have normally not been paid attention to (Mander, 1998). This is done by two methods, increasing the frequency of new images, using such visual tricks such as flashing colors, close-ups, and using startling, even loud sounds to momentarily re-gain the viewer's attention yet still maintaining the alpha brain-wave state that is critical for the passive, information collecting condition that occurs while viewing TV (Peper, Mulholland, 1971) "The picture on the TV changes every five or six seconds, either by changing the camera angle or cutting to an entirely new scene", writes Kate Moody, thereby conditioning the brain to change at the expense of continuity of thought.

During TV viewing only the observation can take place since there is no active involvement from the viewer (Mander, 1978; Mander, 1992; Postman, 1986). When an image is introduced to the brain via the retina there is a certain interval of time required for the highest thinking level of the brain, the neocortex, to fully assimilate the necessary information for understanding (Rybak, et. al, 1999). When images are broadcasted from the TV screen they are actually being shown pixel by pixel, right to left, line after line across the screen. The image is never fully visible and it is up to the brain to make some semblance of order and reason out of the moving dots (Mander, 1978). Due to this unending pouring or visual data the human brain cannot take the time to send the visual data to the neocortex. The image information makes it only as far as the primitive core brain and the limbic (feeling) section of the brain. The action and limbic brains cannot distinguish real from imaginary sensory output, be it from the television or the computer screen. During childhood development it is crucial for the child to have as many repetitive and rhythmical experiences in movement combined with visual exploration for the optimal development of the progressive myelination of nerve pathways that are created as part of the sequential development of the most primitive (action) brain to the limbic (feeling) brain to the most highly evolved (thought) brain, the neocortex (Johnson, 1999, Spock, 1998). Mylenation, which is the covering of the developing nerve axons and dendrites with a protective fatty-protein sheath, is about 80% complete in the core and limbic brains by age 4. It shifts to the neocortex by age 6 or 7 and progresses from the right-side hemisphere initially. Interactive learning, where there is whole body involvement, provides the optimal experience. The brain's response to novelty and color occurs in the dominant right hemisphere when watching television (Healy, 1990, Everett 1997). The memory of a face, a spatial configuration, activates the right hemisphere. Since no movement learning is taking place, the left hemisphere, which governs movement and touch, is not utilized (Begley, Wright, Church, Hager, 1992).
Watching television has been characterized as a type of sensory deprivation that may be stunting the growth of children's brains. Studies have show that brain size decreases 20-30% if a child is not touched, played and talked to (Healy 1990). Healy has also found that when young animals are placed in an enclosed area, only viewing the activities of other animals and they, themselves not participating, their brain growth decreased in proportion to the time spent in inactivity. Television does not present information to all five senses but to only two (Johnson, 1999; Kaufman, 1999; Mander, 1992). Knowledge, to be fully internalized, must not merely be transmitted verbally but must be constructed and reconstructed by the learner in a physical manner (Jana, 2000; Spock, 1998). Piaget felt that for a child to know and construct knowledge of the world the child must act on objects and it is this action that provides knowledge of those objects (Piaget, 1972).

The media, in utilizing images on television and computer screens, is able to maintain a permanent presence of their product within our thoughts (Landay, 1995; Macionis, 1998; Skinner, 1979). "Human beings have not yet been equipped by evolution to distinguish in our minds between natural images and those which are artificially created and implanted." (Mander, 1972. pp. 217) Mander goes on to argue that we are not equipped to defend ourselves against the implantation of an artificial image. Two kinds of images, artificial and natural, merge in the mind as equals. Images viewed from television are held in our thoughts on as equal a basis as those in which we viewed in the natural world. In doing my research I found the following type of example to be extremely powerful: Bring to mind any of the following: John F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Captain Kirk, Santa Claus, Harrison Ford, Napoleon, Darth Vader, Bugs Bunny, Abraham Lincoln, Kramer, Lucy Ricardo, Dale Earhardt, Bill Gates…where you able to bring any of these images to mind? Where you able to make a picture of them in your head? An example such as this was written in Jerry Mander's book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television. He felt that this was proof that once an image entered your brain it remained there, together with all the other memories of your life. You do not know these people, many are fictitional characters, yet, according to Mander, they all hold equal weight in your image recall. He goes on to challenge you to try to erase any one of the TV people from your mind. Could you do that? Can you forever forget how Darth Vader looks? "Once television places an image inside your head, it is yours forever (Mander, 1987 pg. 241)".
Mander writes in his book titled In the Absence of the Sacred, that ours is the first society in history of which it can be said that life has moved inside media (Mander, 1992). This is an important point being made, for when people are viewing TV their senses become extremely dimmed, akin to being in a hypnotic trance. This state of being is even referred to by former Vice-President Al Gore in his statements made to the Children's Television Conference (Washington 1996). In his speech, Gore was talking about the advent of the long awaited V-chip that was being implemented to help provide parents with a means of limiting the amount of violent programs that their children view on TV. Gore states, "… with the V-chip some programmers and advertisers for the first time have to worry that inappropriate programming is going to lead them to lose some of the audience that would otherwise be hypnotically transfixed by their programming." Reed Hundt, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, was cited by the Christian Science Monitor concerning his pro stance towards government responsibility in curbing TV violence (Hundt, 1995). Continuing with this premise of image equality, should we not explore the vast amount of images that steadily flow from the TV nightly into the minds of our children? (Jana, 2000; Mander, 1978; Postman, 1986). "If the sheer volume of absorbed images is considered, how can what is shown on television have no effect on one's own mental image? (Gerbner, 1995; Kaufman, 1998)" "It is the nature of the medium that it must suppress the content of ideas in order to accommodate the requirements of visual interest; that is to say, to accommodate the values of show business." (Postman, 1986, pg 92)

The advertisement agencies whose main directive is to promote their sponsors' marketable product understand some very important truths of education, the need to control behavior, the success of repetition and the power of images (Huffman, Vernoy & Vernoy, 1998; Warreby, 2000). A popular culture created to promote the marketing goals of the corporate model can be quickly and universally transmitted to the whole society, uniformly designed for the quick and profitable selling of goods (Bagdikian 1992; Landay, 1995; Rushkoff, 2001). To change the behavior of the viewing masses to meet the corporate goals of product sales is a major undertaking (Mander, 1978; Mander, 1992; Rushkoff, 2001). Yet the need for behavioral manipulation is critical for these changes in human behavior do not happen overnight (Hunter, 1958; Kocher, 2000; Skinner, 1979; Warreby, 2000). Watching one advertisement on television would not have the same influence on a child's behavior as if the child viewed the same commercial message 20-50 times over a period of weeks (Hunter, 1958; Murray, 2000). No single learning experience has a very profound impact upon the learner (Hunter, 1958; Spock, 1998; Sutphen, 2000). To change the ways of thinking, in the fundamental habits and the major operation concepts in attitudes, may take years of carefully orchestrated behavioral modifications. (Hunter, 1958; Mander, 1978; Postman, 1985; Sutphen, 2000; Taylor,1949; Warreby, 2000). The key here is the combination of marketing strategies to produce the desired effect in the populace, for in order for educational experiences to produce these effects they must be organized as to reinforce each other. (Hobbs, 1996; Taylor, 1949; Warreby, 2000).

In his writings about progressive education, Taylor talks of the necessity to investigate the interests, hopes and aspirations of a people and of their dominant values in order to ascertain the most effective curricula to be used for their education. Such methods are used on a continual basis with polls and contests given by advertisers to help them in their endless pursuit of understanding their target audience (Alwang, Mendelson, Edward, 2001; Neilsen, 1999; Rushkoff, 2001; Schwartz, 2001). The careful manipulation of the developing behavioral tendencies of a large group of children who will someday become the main purchasers of their communities is a very important goal (Bolding, 2000; Landay, 1995; Mander, 1978; Rushkoff, 2001; Warreby, 2000).

A challenge that exists for a profit-minded business is the creation, in the minds of the consumer, of need. For marketers to be able to create a sense of need where there is none is no small feat yet is accomplished on a daily basis (Mander, 1978; Rushkoff, 2001). In a capitalist, profit-oriented society, there is a constant challenge to create a 'value-added' commodity to replace an item, which is naturally occurring and thus not marketable in the true sense. (Kaufman, 2000; Mander, 1978). This term, 'value-added' is one element of economics, which means that the value is derived from all the processes that alter a raw material from something with no intrinsic economic value to something, which does. Value added can be a confusing concept. To help clarify, I will provide an example: whole wheat flour, used for centuries, proved to be costly to store since the nutritionally high content of vitamins and minerals attracted vermin. Processing the flour and removing most of the nutrients into what we now call white flour lessened its attraction to vermin. It was also a lot cheaper to store for it could be stored for longer periods of time since the oils were also removed, which decreased the rate of spoilage. The "value added" comes into play when one is told that the loaf of white bread that is being sold is a special, new and improved, nutritionally enhanced product that has added vitamins and minerals, while, in reality, only a small percentage of the originally present vitamins and minerals that had been removed are put back in. Bread has been around for centuries, but now it is being marketed with an increased and artificial value that is created for the sole purpose of profit (Mander, 1978). A second element in the creation of commercial value is scarcity, "the separation of people from whatever they might want or need (Mander,1978, pg 118). In our artificial environments, everything obtains a condition of scarcity and therefore value. (Mander, 1978) This premise, where scarcity of an item brings with it increased value, brings with it a complex strategy that addresses the need to manipulate the behavior of the consumer to meet the needs of a continual onslaught of 'value-added', yet actually un-needed commodities. Mander writes that this manipulation is targeted at human experience, feeling, perception, behavior and desire. To manufacture products efficiently and cost- effectively they need to be mass-produced so the impetus to create the artificial sense of need that is identical throughout the many viewers is paramount. Reshaping needs to fit the environment, which is what occurs through advertisement, is well illustrated in the following experiment related by Mander. There were chimpanzees isolated into separate rooms. For them to communicate with the scientists, a button with a specific symbol had to be pushed. For example, if a banana was desired, the button with a banana symbol needed to be pushed. Cost was a factor in limiting the amount of buttons that were available to the chimps. Water, light and even human attention were provided but not much else. Items that were convenient to the scientists were also a prerequisite so choices that would have provided experiences to the chimps that would have provided a duplication of their natural habitat were not offered. The results of the experiment were hailed as a significant breakthrough because it showed that the animals had the ability to interact through abstract forms of communication, yet the experiment also showed that although the animals were satisfied for a time with the few options provided, in time, the need for other options that were not included caused a high death rate, even suicide rate among all of the confined animals. Other animals tested had the same problems, especially with the more intelligent ones such as dolphins. A high lethargy rate was also evident (Mander, 1978, pg 120). This study mirrors the reality of our society today (Landay, 1995; Mander, 1978; Moody, 1980). Children are being given a finite set of artificial choices via the television screen (Jana, 2000). Focused so intently on the television, we as a society forget that there are an infinite amount of options for us to choose from all without 'value-added', if we would only turn off the TV and walk away (Kaufman, 2000; Spock, 1998).

Information that is most easily retrieved from memory is that which had most recently been introduced (Iyengar 1991). Iyengar goes on to say, "In the arena of public affairs, where people are highly dependent upon the media for information, more accessible information is information that is more frequently or more recently conveyed by the media." Since the major news providers are owned by the twenty-three dominant corporations (Bagdikian, 1992, Mander & Goldsmith, 1996) it is simple to see the simplicity of corporate goals being maintained through televised media.