Eyestrain

The degree to which computers provoke eye strain largely depends on the type of monitor – and in particular, its refresh rate.

CRT monitors have very low refresh rates – if you look closely at one of these monitors, you will actually see the screen flickering. Prolonged use of such monitors tends to cause eye strain.

Thankfully, modern monitors have very high refresh rates and this problem has been reduced considerably. Many people who used to have eye-strain problems with CRT screens do not have problems with LCD or plasma screens.

One final note has to do with glare – do make sure the lighting is adequate!

Flash Lessons

Concern has been expressed about the safety of flash lessons for babies. Some experts fear that when babies appear interested in flash lessons, it could be because of a primitive reflex known as the “orienting response.”

The point of the orienting response is to get us to automatically focus attention on a strange sight or sound, in case it turns out to be a threat. Certain television programs for babies that rely on quick edits or the element of surprise (a person or puppet popping up suddenly), many of which are very popular with parents, may be causing very young children to exhibit the orienting response.

Some experts worry that very young children exposed to programs with quick edits or too many surprises will be more susceptible to attention problems in later life. “The concern was that this level of stimulation, which was unnatural, would condition the developing mind to view that as normal,” says Dimitri Christakis, director of the Child Health Institute of the University of Washington. “Then by comparison the real world would be unsatisfying – it wouldn’t be stimulating enough.”

Many children’s programs contain split-second edits, clearly designed to elicit a surprised response. Flash lessons, by contrast, move at a speed of roughly one word or image per second. The difference in pacing is hugely important. On the one hand, fast-paced TV shows attract the viewer’s attention, producing a hyper-alert state. On the other, flash lessons keep children engaged while at the same time encouraging concentration. Children who can concentrate do not have attention problems.

---

Is there such a thing as too much? …