This paper reviews the research that examines the content of television, especially in its portrayal of women. Studies reporting on the viewing habits of the general population and particularly children are summarized. Also recounted is research that explores the relationship between sex role development in children and the presentation of sex…

A review of 19 studies in 17 articles on sex-role stereotyping and television has revealed some common characteristics. Three types of research can be classified: content, effect, and correlation. Content analysis was the most popular. Even though various types of TV programs were studied, each research study investigated only one type of program…

Intended for students in the social sciences, this book assembles and evaluates the main findings of recent work on television and sex role acquisition, points out gaps and limitations in present inquiry, and sketches a framework around which future research might usefully address some of the remaining questions. The seven chapter topics are as…

Presents a literature review that addresses sexism and gender misrepresentation on "Sesame Street," the world's most popular children's television program. Discusses the show's content and the correlation between increased exposure to "Sesame Street" and viewers' changes in attitude and behavior. Suggests the presence of gender…

This paper places research findings within a social learning framework to demonstrate that television influences the development of sex typing in children. First, the presence of sex-typed content in television programming and advertising is documented. Then, the nature of children's attention to and comprehension of televised messages is…

Content analysis of American television commercials since 1971 reveals several differences between the portrayal of men and women, but many of the gaps seem to be narrowing. The findings are discussed in terms of the potential effects of exposure to stereotyped depictions on viewers' sex role attitudes. (Author/BJV)

This second article in a series on the relationship between television and children summarizes shortcomings of studies of effects based on traditional psychology. Other approaches to study of television and children using sociological ideas are explored, focusing on what children do to, and with, television as active viewers. (MBR)

Describes a study that investigated sex-role stereotyping of occupational roles and the affective behaviors of music-video characters in a random sample of 182 MTV (Music Television) music videos in 1987. Race differences are also examined, and results are reported that suggest that the mass media perpetuates stereotypes. (30 references) (LRW)

Reviews effects of television on various aspects of children's behavior, including learning through passive viewing, lowered attention span, school achievement and reading, aggression, sex role stereotyping, and prosocial behaviors. Concluding sections focus on effects of television on family life and point out ways parents and teachers can better…

The bibliography on analyses of television programing provided in this paper indicates the types of content analyses that have been conducted on television programing over much of the last 30 years. Compiled after a review of relevant books and the back issues of "Journal of Communication,""Journal of Broadcasting," and "Journalism Quarterly," the…

Reviews research on the portrayal of gender and occupation on prime-time television and describes a study that focused on representation and patterns of activity of male and female characters across the contextual variables of industry, occupational role, hierarchical position, plot function, genre, and dramatic tone. (36 references) (LRW)

In this collection of papers, 10 social researchers and mental health specialists review and assess the state of the art in relevant areas of their expertise to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive account of the role of television as a teacher. An overview of issues, findings, and recommendations by Elizabeth J. Roberts is followed by nine…