Impact of Televised Songs on Children's and Young Adults' Memory of Educational Content

In two experiments, children's and young adults' memory of content presented via educational televised songs from School House Rock was examined. Single exposures favored verbal over sung presentations for recognition of important verbal content. After repeated exposure to a second vignette, children and adults remembered more educational material verbatim, and boys were better able to sequence important visual material, but participants still did not recognize significant verbal program content. The results suggest that songs improve verbatim memory, but spoken presentations improve verbal comprehension of content. Policy implications concerning the educational and informational requirements of the Children's Television Act are considered.