Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/176

164 The more important issue, however, is that we should consider the question of comic hooks within the context of the child's total experience, To concentrate solely upon this fragment of his experience would seem unwise both jn terms of the meaningfuiness of the investigation and in terms of the recommended actions stemming therefrom. In short, ii is iy opinion that there ure many factors which influence juvenile delinquency and when compared with these other factors, the reading of comic hooks seems quite insignificant. I da not wish to discourage investigation on this topic but it would be my recommendulion that such an iavesligation would be more fruitful if conducted as part of a much more extensive investigution of the busic preblem.

3. It is conecivable that comie books, regardless of their content, may serve some useful function in the edueation of this Nation's young people by pointing out the limits of bad taste, improper conduct, and antisocial hehavior, Without attempting to develop a philosophy of education, I shonld lke to point ont my reasons for such a statement. In the education of children we are fuced with a decision as to method which falls somewhere between twa extreme ends of a continnum, At the one end there is a Victorian point of view which would advocite the protection of children from all that is evil or bad on the assumption that by so doing we would be teaching only good things. At the other extreme is ab educational process which exposes ihe child to reality, to all the things Qinong which he must at some point in his life discriminate. Obviously it is possible to adopt a position of moderation, an educational method which falls somewhere between these twa extremes.

We cun draw upan the vast literature in the field of leirning for evidence in this matter. When we teach animals or humans to discriminate colors, sounds, or other stimuli, we find that the subjects must first become familiar with the differential characteristics of the stimuli in a series. As this famil- jarity develops, discrimination hecomes more successful when the suhject recog- niges a particular stinnilas as different from others, and also, perhaps more jmyportantly, in what ways they are different. This process might be called constituting the variable in the sense that each subject learns the properties of stimali al certain nositions along some continuum and cun make discrimina- tions among them. Obviously the exainples of color and sound are simple ones, but we may generalize ta more eomplex Jearning sitiiations. As an exiniple, suppose we were concerned with music or art appreciation. It would scem desirable to give students exposure to bud paintings or musie as well as excellent anes so that eael: individual can set up his own standards of "goodness" and "poorness." If we show them only the works af masters they may be unable to discriminate properly beenause they have not identified tlhe properties of yarious points on the continuum.

It fs in this sense that eomie books muy be useful us horrible examples of grammar, literary taste, and eonduct. If placed in the appropriate context, parents may be able to point out the more desirable extremes of these cuntiuna by contrast. This, of course, places a great deal of responsibility on paretts and/or teachers, but if the underlying assmimptions are yalid, such diilicu)ties should not deter us. Once aguiu I must state thut these are only opiuions, bui ibey do represent reasonable generalizations from the findings in experi- mncital psvehologs. There ls an obvious need for research ta demonstrate the extent to which these generalizations are appropriate.

En ennelusion, ] wish tu express regret that I have na more tangible assistanee to give your subcommittee. I speaks for all our 12,000 members when 3 gay that we share your coneern with the problem of juvenile delinyuency, We stand rendy both as citizens and as professional persons to provide any further assistunce you might require.

Sincerely, Cage If. Rusu, Jr., Ph. D., Hrecutive Assistant,

(1) Averill, Lawrence A. Psychology of the Mlementary School Child, Longman, 1950.

{2) Bakwin, Ruth M., M.D. The comics. J. Ped., May 2953, 42: 633–635,

(3) Bender, J. and Lourie, R. 8. The effects of comic books on the idcology of children. Am. J. Orthopsythiat., 1941, 11: 540.