Can SpongeBob Dampen Concentration?

Kids might not absorb as much after watching SpongeBob, new research suggests. The study found that kids do poorly on tests of “executive function” after watching a fast-paced cartoon. Executive function includes the ability to concentrate, integrate new information and solve problems. The study included 60 children. All were 4 years old. None of them had been diagnosed with an attention disorder. Kids were randomly divided into 3 groups. All of them did an activity for 9 minutes. One group watched a segment of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the popular cartoon on Nickelodeon. Another group watched the slower-paced PBS cartoon “Caillou.” The third group drew pictures. Then everyone took tests that measured executive function. The SpongeBob group did much worse than the other two groups. The kids in the drawing group had the best results.