2C Are superheroes good role models? PRE-READING Skimming Skim the passage.Check()the superheroes who are named as good role models ☐Superman☐Iron Man☐Spider-Man☐Daredevi 2.8 uperheroes are everywhere:in comic books,movies,video games,and in posters on buses and trains.But what effect,if any,do superheroes have on our behavior? A research team at Stanford University decided to explore this question by setting up a virtual reality experiment.In the study.people were given a mission-to find and rescue a sick child.One group of participants was made to feel as though they coul fiy like Superman,while another group attempted the same task in a virtual helicopter.After the mission,each participant was interviewed. During the interviews,the researcher pretended and fiction and,as such,the trait of superhuman to accidentally knock over a cup filled with pens. strength is completely believable to them,"she says ts People who had iust flown like Superman were not It"allows them to access some sense of power. only quicker to help.but picked up an average of Bailey adds,"The risk to superhero play is that 15percent more pens.Every"su perhero"picked sometimes children's behavior can become out up at least a few pens,whereas some of the of control and escalate into chaotic play as a child helicopter participants failed to offer any help at becomes submerged'in these roles."She advises all.This suggests that heroic behavior in a virtual parents to limit exposure to more aggressive environment might transfe to helpful behavior in shows and to have children focus on"other positive the real world. characteristics of their favorite hero,such as their Superheroes may have a particularly important clever thinking and care of others."Concem over influence on children.Children have very limited the potential effect of aggressive behavior has led 2s control over many areas of their lives.Therefore to some schools banning superhero play from the pretending to be a superhero allows a child to act classroom altogether out and process any anxiety that they have.and thereby resolve or reduce underlying f ers,claims Other psychologists share this concern.Some ooint to the evolution of the superhero over time. Dr.Amy Bailey,a clinical psychologist at kidsFIRST and are critical of modem renditions 2"There is Medical Center,Dubai."Children age three to four a big difference in the movie superhero of today years find it difficult to differentiate between reality and the comic book superhero of yesterday,"says 30 30 2C PRE-READING Skimming Skim the passage. Check ✓) the superheroes who are named as good role models. D Superman D Iron Man D Spider-Man D Daredevil 1 5 uperheroes are everywhere: in co111ic books, movies, video games) and in posters on buses and trains. But what effect1 if any, do superheroes have on our behavior? A research team at Stanford University decided to explore this question by setting up a virtual reality experiment. In the study, people were given a mission-to find and rescue a sick child. One group of participants was made to feel as though 10 they could fly like Superman, while another group attempted the same task in a virtual helicopter. After the mission, each participant was interviewed. During the interviews, the researcher pretended to accidentally knock over a cup filled with pens. 15 People who had just flown like Superman were not only quicker to help, but picked up an average of 15 percent more pens. Every "superhero" picked up at least a few pens, whereas some of the helicopter participants failed to offer any help at 20 all. This suggests that heroic behavior in a virtual environment might transfer to helpful behavior in the real world. Superheroes may have a particularly important influence on children. Children have very limited 2s control over many areas of their lives. Therefore, pretending to be a superhero allows a child to act out and process any anxiety that they have, and thereby resolve or reduce underlying fears) claims Dr. Amy Bailey, a clinical psychologist at kidsFIRST 30 Medical Center, Dubai. "Children age three to four years find it difficult to differentiate between reality and fiction and, as such, the trait of superhuman strength is completely believable to them," she says. It "allows them to access some sense of power." 35 Bailey adds, "The risk to superhero play is that sometimes children's behavior can become out of control and escalate into chaotic play as a child becomes submerged1 in these roles." She advises parents to limit exposure to more aggressive 40 shows and to have children focus on "other positive characteristics of their favorite hero, such as their clever thinking and care of others." Concern over the potential effect of aggressive behavior has led to some schools banning -superhero play from the 45 classroom altogether. Other psychologists share this concern. Some point to the evolution of the superhero over time, and are critical of rnodern renditions. 2 "There is a big difference in the movie superhero of today 50 and the comic book superhero of yesterday," says