Reading Exercise: TV Dependency 

The amount of time people spend watching television is astonishing. On average, individuals in the developed world dedicate three hours a day to this activity – half of their leisure time, more than any other single activity except work and sleep. Over a lifetime, this adds up to nine years in front of the screen for someone living to 75. While some argue this reflects enjoyment and conscious choice, many express concerns about excessive viewing. In Gallup polls from 1992 and 1999, 40% of adults and 70% of teenagers felt they watched too much TV. Other surveys consistently show that about 10% of adults consider themselves TV addicts.

B

To explore people’s responses to TV, researchers have conducted laboratory experiments using electroencephalography (EEG) to track brain waves and monitor behavior and emotions in natural settings rather than artificial lab conditions. Participants carried beepers and were prompted randomly six to eight times daily over a week to record their activities and feelings on a standardized scorecard.

C

As expected, individuals watching TV when beeped reported feeling relaxed and passive. EEG studies also revealed lower mental stimulation, measured by alpha brain wave activity, compared to reading. Surprisingly, the sense of relaxation ends when the TV is turned off, yet feelings of passivity and reduced alertness persist. Surveyed participants often find it harder to concentrate after viewing than before, contrasting with the clarity usually felt after reading or engaging in hobbies. Unlike sports or hobbies, which typically improve mood, TV viewing often leaves moods unchanged or worsened. Viewers often continue watching due to a learned expectation of reduced relaxation if they stop, perpetuating the habit much like addictive substances. Thus, the paradox of TV: viewers often watch longer than intended, despite diminishing satisfaction. ESM studies found that prolonged viewing correlates with reduced enjoyment. Middle-class viewers in Japan, the UK, and the US particularly experience guilt over this, unlike less affluent viewers.

D

Why does television hold such sway over us? Part of its allure appears to stem from our innate ‘orienting response.’ First articulated by Ivan Pavlov in 1927, this instinctual visual or auditory reaction to sudden or novel stimuli is a vestige of our evolutionary past, a built-in sensitivity to movement and potential threats. In 1986, Byron Reeves from Stanford University, along with Esther Thorson from the University of Missouri and their colleagues, initiated research into whether television’s formal characteristics – cuts, edits, zooms, pans, and sudden noises – activate the orienting response, thereby maintaining viewer attention. Their studies on brain wave patterns indicated that these stylistic techniques can indeed elicit involuntary responses and ‘gain attentional significance through their evolutionary importance in detecting motion... It is the structure, not the substance, of television that sets it apart.’

E

The natural appeal of television's sights and sounds begins early in life. Dafna Lemish from Tel Aviv University observed babies as young as six to eight weeks showing interest in television. Older infants, lying on their backs, have been seen turning their heads nearly 180 degrees to catch glimpses of light through windows. This inclination underscores the deep-seated nature of the orienting response.

F

Through the Experience Sampling Method, we meticulously examined various aspects of daily life: work, meals, reading, conversations with friends, sports, and more. Our findings revealed that heavy television viewers often report higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of happiness in unstructured situations such as idling, daydreaming, or waiting alone. This disparity becomes more pronounced among those who self-identify as TV addicts in surveys. According to Robert D. McIlwraith from the University of Manitoba, these individuals show greater susceptibility to boredom and distraction, and poorer attentional control compared to non-addicts. TV serves as a means of distraction from unpleasant thoughts and fills idle time. Over the years, other studies have consistently linked heavy viewing with reduced community involvement, lower participation in physical activities, and higher rates of obesity compared to moderate viewers or non-viewers.

G

More than a quarter-century ago, psychologist Tannis M. MacBeth Williams from the University of British Columbia studied a mountain community that initially lacked television until cable service was finally introduced. Over time, both adults and children in the town displayed diminished problem-solving creativity, reduced perseverance in tasks, and decreased tolerance for unstructured time.

H

Almost four decades ago, Gary A. Steiner from the University of Chicago collected compelling firsthand accounts from families whose television sets had malfunctioned. In experimental scenarios, families voluntarily abstained from watching TV for periods ranging from a week to a month, sometimes receiving compensation for their participation. Some families encountered conflicts, both verbal and physical. In reviewing these 'cold turkey' studies, Charles Winick from the City University of New York observed: ‘For most people, the first three or four days were the most challenging, even in households where TV viewing was minimal and other activities were ongoing. In more than half of these households, initial days without TV disrupted normal routines, causing difficulties for family members adjusting to newfound free time and leading to expressions of anxiety and aggression… By the second week, adaptation to the situation became more common.’ Unfortunately, comprehensive statistical data on the prevalence of these withdrawal symptoms has yet to be systematically compiled.

I

Although television meets some criteria for substance dependence, not all researchers agree on calling it addictive. In 1988, McIlwraith argued that while displacing other activities socially matters, it may not meet the clinical threshold for significant impairment. He suggested that conditions like depression and social anxiety could explain heavy viewing, making a new category of ‘TV addiction’ unnecessary. However, millions still feel unable to control their TV consumption.

Questions 14-18

Do the statements align with the claims made in Reading Passage 2?

In boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE           if the statement is true

FALSE          if the statement is false

NOT GIVEN    if the information is not given in the passage

14   Study shows that males are more likely to be addicted to TV than females.

15   Greater improvements in mood are experienced after watching TV than playing sports.

16   TV addiction works in similar ways as drugs.

17   It is reported that people’s satisfaction is in proportion to the time they spend watching TV.

18   Middle-class viewers are more likely to feel guilty about watching TV than the poor.

Questions 19-23

Look at the following researchers (Questions 19-23) and the list of statements below.

Match each researcher with the appropriate statements.

Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 19-23 on your answer sheets.

19   Byron Reeves and Esther Thorson

20   Dafna Lemish

21   Robert D. McIlwraith

22   Tannis M. MacBeth Williams

23   Charles Winick

List of Statements

A  Audiences would get hypnotized from viewing too much television.

B  People have been sensitive to the TV signals since a younger age.

C  People are less likely to accomplish their work with television.

D  A handful of studies have attempted to study other types of media addiction.

E  The addictive power of television could probably minimize the problems.

F  Various media formal characters stimulate people’s reaction on the screen.

G  People who believe themselves to be TV addicts are less likely to join in the group activities.

H  It is hard for people to accept life without a TV at the beginning.

Questions 24-26

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet.

24   People in the industrialized world

A   devote ten hours watching TV on average

B   spend more time on TV than other entertainment

C   call themselves TV addicts.

D   enjoy working best.

25   When compared with light viewers, heavy viewers

A   like playing sport more than reading.

B   feel relaxed after watching TV.

C   spend more time in daydreaming.

D   are more easily bored while waiting in line.

26   Which of the following statements is true about the family experiment?

A   Not all subjects participate in the experiment for free.

B   There has been complete gathered data.

C   People are prevented from other activities during the experiment.

D   People can not adapt to the situation until the end.

Answers

14. NOT GIVEN (không có thông tin về việc nam nghiện xem TV hơn nữ)

15. FALSE (Đoạn C, “After playing sports or engaging in hobbies, people report improvements in mood. After watching TV, people’s moods are about the same or worse than before.” → Xem TV xong tâm trạng tệ hơn)

16. TRUE (Đoạn C, “Viewing begets more viewing which is the same as the experience of habit-forming drugs.” → Xem TV gây nghiện giống như ma tuý)

17. FALSE (Đoạn C, “In our ESM studies the longer people sat in front of the set, the less satisfaction they said they derived from it.” → Càng xem TV lâu càng cảm thấy không còn vui nữa

18. TRUE (Đoạn C, “Researchers in Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. have found that this guilt occurs much more among middle-class viewers than among less affluent ones.” → Người ở tầng lớp cao thường thấy tội lỗi khi xe, TV hơn so với người nghèo).

19. F (Đoạn D, “In 1986 Byron Reeves of Stanford University, Esther Thorson of the University of Missouri and their colleagues began to study whether the simple formal features of television – cuts, edits, zooms, pans, sudden noises – activate the orienting response, thereby keeping attention on the screen.”)

20. B (Đoạn E, “ Dafna Lemish of Tel Aviv University has described babies at six to eight weeks attending to television.”)

21. G (Đoạn F, “Other studies over the years have shown that heavy viewers are less likely to participate in community activities and sports and are more likely to be obese than moderate viewers or non-viewers.”)

22. C (Đoạn G, “Over time, both adults and children in the town became less creative in problem-solving, less able to persevere at tasks, and less tolerant of unstructured time.”)

23. H (Đoạn H, “he first three or four days for most persons were the worst, even in many homes where the viewing was minimal and where there were other ongoing activities.”)

24. B

25. D