The gratifications identified by viewers of the daytime television serial "All My Children" were (in rank order): entertainment, habit, convenience, social utility, relaxation or escape from problems, escape from boredom, and reality exploration or advice. (GT)

Finds that inertial engagement sustains looks across boundaries between programs and commercials; inertial engagement does not carry over from one look to the next; inertial engagement was associated with greater recognition memory for television content; and look length distributions are approximately lognormal, and hazard functions are…

Concludes that intelligence scores are consistently lower for adults who are heavy television viewers. (FL)

Concludes that the amount of time children and adults spend viewing television has little to do with their perceptions of violence. (FL)

Reports that viewing sitcoms and game shows can be beneficial to mental health, but viewing soap operas can be harmful. (FL)

Analyzes usage of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs during two recent television seasons. Alcohol predominated, accounting for more than two-thirds of all coded substance acts. More than two acts of alcohol use were found per hour in each season. The middle class and comic characters did the heavier drinking. (Author/BEF)

A study involving 111 adults with blindness examined the impact of watching television science programs with and without audio description. Results indicate respondents gained and retained more information from watching programs with description. They reported that the description makes the program more enjoyable, interesting, and informative.…

Reviews research and data regarding the effects of television violence on viewers, especially children. (GC)

Found that viewers who were cued to pay particular attention to the following evening's network news were able to recall significantly more news items and in more detail than viewers who were not, but neither group as a whole recalled more than 25 percent of the stories. (PD)

The literature review discusses studies which have been conducted to determine whether television enriches a child's imagination or leads to distortions of reality, and whether adult mediation during a child's television viewing or immediately after can evoke constructive changes or stimulate make-believe play. Thirty-six references are cited.…

Replies to Paul Hirsch's rejoinder to Gerbner et al's findings on cultivation analysis. (See EJ 240 175-177.) Addresses the use of the National Opinion Research Center/ General Social Surveys. Concludes that Hirsch's appraisal of cultivation theory and his reasons for rejecting the concepts of mainstreaming and resonance are unwarranted and…

Presents two studies of thoughts in relation to viewing of expository television programs. Shows a close relationship between comprehension and thoughts, and demonstrates that expository television can engage viewers in deep cognitive activities. Finds different reception profiles among viewers, correlating closely with topic-relevant previous…

Concludes that gender gap is a better predictor than political attitudes of determining who will view a television program and how they will react to it. (FL)

Examines the relative contributions of both verbal ability and prior knowledge to comprehension and memory for a televised movie, in both immediate and delayed recall conditions. Suggests that, although both factors aid in the comprehension process, they do so in different ways. (SR)

Summarizes the major research findings on the relationship between television violence and aggressive behavior; concludes that, while there is no definitive proof that such a relationship exists, the evidence points strongly in that direction. (GT)