Mister Rogers' Neighborhood helps children and families grow in healthy ways

Psychologists, educators and parents all recognize the many ways that MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD supports the young child’s healthy emotional growth and development. These emotional skills have long been connected by researchers to children’s future school learning, family life, and their success in the workforce. Over the years, there have been studies confirming that MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD helps children develop those kinds of strengths:

Task Persistence (Continuing to work on a task, even when it's difficult)

Tolerance of Delay (Being able to wait)

Acceptance of Rules (Going along with rules)

Reduced Aggression (Managing anger)

Nurturance and Cooperation (Considering the feelings of others)

Increased Imaginative Play (Playing more imaginatively)

Talking About Feelings (Overcoming fears and anxieties)

The research further shows that these emotional and social “tools” enable children to be better learners who:

• Solve problems and deal with their mistakes
• Are curious and interested in the world around them
• Look and listen carefully
• Are developing self-control
• Deal with their feelings constructively
• Get along with others
• Are imaginative and creative
• Feel good about who they are and who they can become

Two of the studies address the importance of an adult watching with a child, an adult who talks with them about the ideas on the program and offers follow-up activities. When children watch with an adult they show even greater gains in these important prosocial behaviors and attitudes.

In a more recent study, research has shown some of the many ways that adults benefit, too, by watching MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD. Teachers reported that in addition to being more patient with the children in their care, they also began to “talk more ‘with’ the children than ‘at’ them.”

Children who watched MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD demonstrated greater ability to concentrate on projects and to stick with an activity even when it was somewhat difficult (Friedrich & Stein).

Fred Rogers takes great care in showing children that some tasks are difficult at first, but that with practice and a little patience, many can be mastered.

As the various characters from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe learn to develop new skills, they sometimes get frustrated when things do not turn out quite as they expected.

But when they keep trying and finally succeed, the joy of accomplishment rewards their efforts.

Songs such as "Children Can" and "You've Got to Do It" support children in their efforts to try and try again.

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Tolerance of Delay
Being Able to Wait 

Children who watched MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD were more likely to be able to demonstrate self-control when faced with delays of some sort, such as waiting for materials or waiting for adult help and attention (Friedrich & Stein).

In an age of immediate gratification, Fred Rogers' slow paced approach is unusual.

Yet when Mister Rogers takes his time filling the fish tank, completing a project or awaiting a visitor or a delivery, he shows children that being patient can have its own rewards.

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Acceptance of Rules
Going Along with Rules 

Demonstrations of self-control and compliance with rules were noted among the children who had watched MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD (Friedrich & Stein).

There was a greater likelihood that the children would spontaneously comply with rules in situations where another option was available.

Similarly, these children were, voluntarily, more likely to initiate routines such as cleaning up after a project, even without adult intervention.

Discussions about rules abound in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, because King Friday XIII loves to make rules.

Through this imaginary land of make-believe and puppets, Fred Rogers stresses the importance and need for rules, while exploring the reactions people may have when a rule seems unnecessary or even downright silly!

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Positive interactions with other children were related to viewing MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD.

Children from low-socioeconomic backgrounds demonstrated increased cooperative play, nurturance, and verbalization of feelings after viewing the program (Friedrich & Stein, 1973).

For the most part, these children did not watch MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD at home.

Since viewers observe many situations of cooperative and helpful behaviors on the program, there is some evidence that such cooperative endeavors provide a model for children who have not had previous experience with MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD.

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Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds who participated in the study demonstrated increased nurturing behavior, such as helping other children, protecting others, or praising another child (Friedrich & Stein, 1973).

Characters in the NEIGHBORHOOD sometimes experience conflict, frustration, and annoyance with one another.

Yet, there is a general tone of helpfulness, empathy, and understanding of people's feelings that helps young children develop caring and empathic attitudes towards others.

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After viewing MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD, children were more able to verbalize their feelings (Friedrich & Stein).

Nearly every program explores the underlying feelings related to a character's behavior.

Love, jealousy, anger, fear, anxiety, and pride are all feelings that the viewer learns everyone can have at one time or another.

Children learn that they can manage their feelings more easily when they can talk about them with someone they trust.

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Overall, viewers demonstrated a diminished level of physical and verbal aggression as a result of watching MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD (Friedrich & Stein, 1973; Coates, Pusser, & Goodman).

The child viewer comes to recognize that behavior such as biting, name-calling, giving commands and tattling leads to uncomfortable feelings and often retaliation from other members of the group.

Children begin to learn other outlets for their aggression, such as those in the Mister Rogers' song, "What Do You Do with the Mad That You Feel?" (when you feel so mad you could bite!).

Learning other alternatives helped reduce children's levels of aggression toward others.

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Cantor, Sparks, and Hoffner, report the success of MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD in reducing children's fears of the Incredible Hulk through information and demonstration of the transformations that occur with make-up, camera effects, and a change in actor.

Parents and teachers have also reported the success of the program in reducing children's fears about everyday occurrences such as visits to the doctor or dentist, getting a haircut, or specifically, going to school for the first time.

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Teachers have long been concerned about the effects of television on children's imaginative ability.

In a study conducted by Tower, Singer, Singer, and Biggs, researchers found that when less imaginative children viewed MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD for two weeks, their levels of imaginative play increased.

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1. Anderson, D.R., & Bryant, J. (1983). "Research on children's television viewing: The state of the art." In J. Bryant, & D.R. Anderson (Eds.), Children's Understanding of Television, (pp. 331-353). New York: Academic Press.

2. Cantor, J., Sparks, G.G., & Hoffner, C. (1988). "Calming children's television fears: Mr. Rogers vs. The Incredible Hulk," Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. 32(3), 271-288.

3. Coates, B., & Pusser, H.E., & Goodman, I. (1976). "The influence of SESAME STREET and MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD on children's social behavior in the preschool". Child Development, 45(1), 138-141.

4. Coates, B., & Pusser, H.E. (1975). "Positive reinforcement and punishment in SESAME STREET and MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD." Journal of Broadcasting 19(2), 141-151.

5. Dohrmann, R. (1975). "A gender profile of children's educational television." Journal of Communication, 25, 56-65.

6. Friedrich, L.K. & Stein, A.H. (1973). "Aggressive and Procosocial Television Programs and the Natural Behavior of Preschool Children." Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, Vol. 38, No. 4, Serial No. 151.

7. Friedrich, L.K. & Stein, A.H. (1975). "Prosocial television and young children: The effects of verbal labeling and role playing on learning and behavior." Child Development, 45 27-38.

8. Friedrich, L.K. & Stein, A.H. (1975) "A naturalistic study of the effects of prosocial television and environmental variables on the behavior of young children." Final Report. Washington, DC.: Office of Child Development.

9. Liebert, R.M. Neale, J.M., & Davidson, E.S. (1973). "Television's potential prosocial effects." In R.M. Liebert, J.M. Neale, & E.S. Davidson (Eds.) The Early Window: Effects of Television on Children and Youth (pp. 89-110). New York: Pergamon Press.

10. McFarland, Suzanne L. (1992), "Extending 'The NEIGHBORHOOD'' to Child Care: Research Report", (Toledo, Ohio: Public Broadcasting Foundation of Northwest Ohio)

11. Mulac, A., Bradac, J.J., & Mann, S.K. (1985). "Male/female language differences and attributional consequences in children's television." Human Communication Research, 11(4) 481-506.

12. Rice, M.L. & Haight, P.L. (1986). "Motherese of Mr. Rogers: a description of the dialogue of educational television programs." Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 51(3), pp. 282-287.

13. Rushton, J.P. (1982). "Television and prosocial behavior." In D. Pearl, L. Boutilet, & L. Lazar (Eds.), Television and Behavior: Ten Years of Scientific Progress and Implications for the Eighties. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

14. Shirley, K.W. The prosocial effects of publicly broadcast children's television. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas, 1974.

15. Singer, J.L. & Singer, D.G. (1978). "Can TV stimulate imaginative play?" Journal of Communication, 26(3), 74-80.

16. Singer, J.L., & Singer, D.G. (1983). "Implications of childhood television viewing for cognition, imagination and emotion. In J. Bryant, & D.R. Anderson (Eds.), Children's Understanding of Television (pp. 265-295). New York: Academic Press.

17. Stein, A.H. & Friedrich, L.K. (1972). "Television content and young children's behavior." In J.P. Murray, E.A. Rubinstein, & G.A. Comstock (Eds.), Television and Social Behavior (Vol. 2): Television and Social Learning. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

18. Striefel, S., & Smeets, P.M. (1974). "Determining TV preference and its implications for educating retarded children." Exceptional Children, 40(4), 285-286.

19. Tower, R.B., Singer, D.G., Singer, J.L., & Biggs, A., (1979). "Differential effects of television programming on preschoolers' cognition, imagination, and social play," American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 49(2), 265-281.

20. Watt, J.H. & Welch, A.J. (1983). "Effects of static and dynamic complexity on children's attention and recall of televised instruction." In J. Bryant & D.R. Anderson (Eds.), Children's Understanding of Television (pp. 69-102). New York: Academic Press.

21. Collins, et. al., (1997) "The long-term effects of television viewing." Paper presented at the Society for Research in Child Development, Washington, DC in 1997 .

Collins summarizes lots of research which demonstrates long-term positive effects of viewing educational TV, in particular Sesame and MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD.

22. McFarland, Suzanne L. (1992), "Extending 'The Neighborhood' to Child Care: Research Report", (Toledo, Ohio: Public Broadcasting Foundation of Northwest Ohio)

McFarland studied the effects for five months on using MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD in child care centers and home-based programs by watching the program off-air or off tape and then doing a related activity from the Mister Rogers' Plan & Play Book. Her report includes many positive changes reported by teachers and parents in both the teachers and the children.

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