Cartoon Image of the Mother, Its Perception by Elementary School Students and Correction in the Process of Media Education

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/csp.2021.5.3.142

Abstract

This article presents a psychological study of the mother image projected in cartoons and its perception by elementary school students. The research provides evidence for the importance of an integral approach to the analysis of media texts addressed to children, as well as for the necessity of considering their narrative, verbal, and descriptive components. A psychological analysis was conducted on the material of three cartoons: “Chunya” (USSR), “Barboskiny” [The Barkers] (Russia), and “Peppa Pig” (UK). Hypotheses were formulated about the potential influence of the cartoons on the younger audience. 70 elementary school students (ꭓ̅ = 9.5 years old) took part in the study. The research was conducted using the method of semantic differential; the data obtained were processed using factor analysis. The results show that the categorization of images follows the factors of “education”, “love”, “patience”, and “respect”. Differences in the semantic assessment of the cartoons under study are presented. Children perceive the events taking place in a cartoon directly, without reflection. Artistic mediation—polysemy, metaphors, and the category of the comic—does not evoke an aesthetic reaction in children, as assumed by the authors. It was found that the semantic assessment of the word “mother” by elementary school students did not agree with the traditional cultural status of a mother. Thus, the respondents ranked such indicators as “understanding” and “prestige” at a low level. A developmental experiment was conducted to correct the mother image as perceived by elementary school students. During the experimental program (8 lessons in total), the schoolchildren watched and discussed the cartoons together with a psychologist. At the end of the experiment, the semantic assessment of the verbal stimulus “mom” by the respondents showed a statistically significantly increase (р≤0.05) in the indicators of “understanding” and “prestige”.

Author Biographies

Irina M. Kyshtymova, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia

Irina M. Kyshtymova is Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Department of Psychology of Education and Personal Development, Irkutsk State University. Her research interests cover psychology of creativity and media psychology. She is the author of 180 scientific works, including: Psikhosemiotika kreativnosti [Psychosemiotics of Creativity] (2008); Kreacja Wizerunku Osobowego: Podsawy Psychosemiotyki Image’u (2013); Рsikhosemioticheskaia metodika diagnostiki verbal'noi kreativnosti [Psychosemeiotical Procedure for Verbal Creativity Diagnostics] (2008); Psikhologicheskaia model' komp'iuternykh igr [Psychological Master Form of Computer Games] (co-authored, 2019); Perception of Axiological and Semantic Code of Characters in Animated Discourse (2020); Psychological Media Competence: Basic Content and Structure (co-authored, 2021).

Lidia V. Matveeva, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

Lidia V. Matveeva is Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Department of Methodology of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University. Her research interests include psychology of communication and media psychology. She is the author of more than 200 scientific works including: Obraz Rossii v soznanii rossiiskoi molodezhi: osobennosti tsennostno-smyslovogo koda kul'turnyi predstavlenii [The Image of Russia in the Consciousness of Russian Youth: Peculiarities of the Value-semantic Code of Cultural Representations] (co-authored, 2021); Sravnitel'nyi analiz kul'turnykh predstavlenii tvorcheskoi molodezhi o rossiiskoi, zapadnoi i vostochnoi civilizatsiiakh [Comparative Analysis of Cultural Representations of Creative Youth of the Russian, Western and Eastern Civilizations] (co-authored, 2021); Tsennostno-smyslovye kody kul'turnykh predstavlenii o Rossii u molodezhi nashei strany, Ukrainy i Belorussii [Value-semantic Codes of Cultural Perceptions of the Youth of Our Country, Ukraine and Belarus] (co-authored, 2021).

Anastasia A. Deineko, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia

Anastasia A. Deineko is a Master's student, Irkutsk State University.

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Published
2021-10-11
How to Cite
Kyshtymova, I., Matveeva, L., & Deineko, A. (2021). Cartoon Image of the Mother, Its Perception by Elementary School Students and Correction in the Process of Media Education. Changing Societies & Personalities, 5(3), 405–421. doi:10.15826/csp.2021.5.3.142
Citation Formats
Issue
Vol. 5, No. 3 (2021)
Section
Articles