In this study, children's selective attention to, and comprehension of, variably-paced television programs were examined as a function of sound effects. Sixty-four children, equally distributed by sex and by preschool and fourth grades, were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions which crossed two levels of sound effects (presence…

Children's visual attention to, and comprehension of, a television program was measured. A total of 64 children, equally distributed by sex, with 32 in kindergarten and 32 in fifth grade, were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions that crossed two levels of content cues with two levels of sound effects. The content cue conditions…

Discussion of comprehension and attention processes of children viewing television programs highlights a study that was conducted to examine the potential impact of sound effects on children's visual orientation to television programs which varied in the rate of program pace. Results for four treatment groups of preschool children and fourth…