Tartar sauce!

Is “SpongeBob SquarePants” getting the deep six? No, but the beloved Nickelodeon character “who lives in a pineapple under the sea” did take a dive last week when it was reported that he might be impairing preschoolers’ thinking.

To determine whether fast-paced TV shows affect children’s classroom skills, a University of Virginia’s Department of Psychology experiment randomly assigned 60 4-year-olds to either draw or watch nine minutes of “SpongeBob” or “Calliou.” When they were tested afterward, kids who watched “Calliou” scored better than kids who watched “SpongeBob.”

For the complete article, please pick up a copy of The Daily Reflector or purchase today’s electronic edition at http://www.reflector.com/circ-store. Current home delivery and electronic edition subscribers may log in to access this article at no charge. To become a subscriber, please click here or contact Customer Service at (252) 329-9505.