The literal perception of on-screen images implies that a child registers vivid visual and emotional signals directly, without additional cognitive processing; in contrast, reflexive perception leads to an automatic, almost instinctive copying of the behavioral models seen.

The Role of Imitation in Children's Emotional Development

The literal perception of on-screen images implies that a child registers vivid visual and emotional signals directly, without additional cognitive processing; in contrast, reflexive perception leads to an automatic, almost instinctive copying of the behavioral models seen. This means that when a child observes emotionally charged behavior on screen, he involuntarily accepts it as a natural example worth repeating. In the process, the child activates a fundamental imitation mechanism that starts working in the earliest months of life, enabling him to not only mimic specific gestures or facial expressions but also to absorb the emotional content of what he sees.

As noted in source link txt:
"Children begin to imitate already in the first year of life, and by the second and third years, they imitate consciously—not only children of their own age but also older ones. ... This tendency to imitate also influences the child’s emotional state. A child can become nervous after playing with another nervous child, or suddenly begin to fear airplanes if his friend is afraid of them."
This quote underscores that children perceive not just actions, but also the emotional tone of behavior, which later manifests in their own emotional responses.

Moreover, an experiment described in source link txt demonstrates that even in the absence of an external task, a child will independently mimic the behavior observed on screen:
"In one experiment, a child was invited into a room filled with various play objects and shown a film. ... Suddenly, the film is interrupted, and the child finds himself alone in the room.

What will he do?

It turned out that even when alone, the preschooler begins to imitate what he has seen, copying the model’s actions, both positive and negative."
This demonstration shows that the automatic, reflexive reaction of a child to on-screen stimulus leads to the reproduction of both positive and negative behavioral models, regardless of any external motivational context.

Thus, the literal and reflexive perception of on-screen images facilitates the copying of emotionally charged behavior in children through the natural mechanism of imitation, where vivid visual stimuli and emotional expressions serve as triggers for the unconscious replication of what has been observed.