TV Makes You Smarter

"Steven Johnson article says that today's popular television programs have complexity that makes greater cognitive demands on viewers than shows had 30 years ago and that this phenomenon, which he calls Sleeper Curve, is enhancing mental development of young people, not retarding it, as television has often been accused of doing; says this applies not only to highbrow dramas like 24, The Sopranos and The West Wing, but also to reality shows like Joe Millionaire, Survivor and The Apprentice; drawings (L)"