Media Chapter 3

Chapter 5 covers many examples of why the media treats children as a special audience. Potter first explains that children have a lack of experience and maturation with the media. He underlines the importance of a good elementary education for gaining more experience, being educated, and aware of certain media messages. Children have a lack of maturation which is why Potter clarifies that there are certain things a child can learn at certain ages in their lives. The author emphasizes that cognitive, emotion, and moral development are vital for children from a media literacy perspective. Once the media recognized the impact of certain content portrayed to children had, TV and advertising regulated this explicit content. Potter discusses about
He defines the four natural abilities that relate most to media literacy. These are field independency, crystalline intelligence, fluid intelligence, and conceptual differentiation. Field independency is claimed to be the most important ability related to media literacy. Two types of intelligence Potter claims need to be differentiated are crystalline and fluid intelligence. Crystalline intelligence is the ability to memorize facts and fluid intelligence is the ability to be creative, make leaps of insight, as well as perceive things in a fresh and novel manner. Potter claims there are two kinds types of thinking which include lateral and vertical thinkers. He claims some people can be good or bad vertical or lateral thinkers. Indeed, the best problem solvers are those that can do both. Conceptual differentiation is how people group and classify things. The larger number of categories the better a person’s conceptual differentiation is, whereas the smaller number of categories the person possess’ a lesser amount of conceptual differentiation. In conclusion, chapter 5 covers how children are special audiences through various credible facts and