Reviews research on television and human behavior. Evidence indicates that television affects both the beliefs and behaviors of young people. (MH)

To some degree television is the current inheritor of anxiety over the effects of communications from outside the home, and is not alone among mass media in presenting sizeable amounts of violence. However the accessibility, pervasiveness, and very character of television make it the ultimate mass medium, and hence a cause for concern. Television…

Long range effects may be of three varieties: those which are observable in the immediate period subsequent to exposure but are long range because of their continuing repetitive accumulation with each exposure; those which represent the cumulative or delayed impact on individuals of exposure to television; or those which represent the immediate…

Cites excerpts from the Keynote address to the Joint Foundation Conference whose purpose was to formulate guidelines for future research on the role of television in the lives of young people. (MH)

Discusses two still unfolding scenarios in the history of television--Surgeon General's inquiry into influence of television violence, and the campaign by health authorities against cigarette smoking--and questions whether there is something to be learned from these experiences in relation to banning television advertising of alcoholic beverages.…

This is a review of research relating to the attributes of portrayals which play a role in affecting aggressive behavior. The effects of portrayal can occur at any of three successive stages: acquisition, disinhibition/stimulation/arousal, performance. The older the individual, the more likely the influence is to be in all three stages of…

Women, blacks, the poor, and the elderly view more television than the population as a whole. Does TV serve the needs and interests of these primary viewers? Professor Comstock doubts it and finds these viewers largely disenfranchised by shallow news programs and entertainment that reinforces accepted norms. (Editor/RK)

Studies and writings on the effects of television on children are reviewed and summarized. Topics are the young people's pattern of exposure to television, the nature of their viewing experience, the way they respond to television, and the direct effects on their values, attitudes and behavior. Research on the influence of television violence on…

The future of research on the constructive aspects of television in the lives of children is contingent on the resolution of several challenges. First, philosophical conflicts associated with the premise that manipulation through broadcast policy is justifiable must be resolved. It is not certain that there is general agreement about prosocial…

The evidence in behalf of the power of parents and others to modify TV's impact is, in fact, evidence that educators have an equally great--or even greater--role to perform. (Author)

Television is a large part of growing up in America, and a part that meshes in various ways with other influences. Teachers should understand it, and as the occasion requires, confront, correct, or take advantage of it. Research on television viewing yields five lessons. Television experience is an individual one, although there are definite…

Reviews three books concerned with the effects of television advertising upon children and their parents: "Television Advertising and Children," edited by June Esserman; "Children and the Faces of Television," edited by Edward Palmer and Aimee Dorr; and "The Effects of Television Advertising on Children," by Richard Adler and others. (JJD)

Discusses four propositions about television viewing by children of ethnic minorities. Presents several unaddressed issues and priorities for future research. (JMF)

Discusses simultaneous airing by three commercial networks and influence on viewers' attitudes of The Great American Values Test, a 30-minute informational program designed to affect viewers' values about environmental issues, racial equality, and sexual equality. The program's effectiveness at influencing behavior was proven by a field…

This review of recent empirical research on the effects of television on children and teenagers begins by examining the results of two surveys which were conducted to determine the opinions of experts in the field. A brief statement of the findings indicates that experts generally agree that television harms formal scholastic achievement while…