This study examined children's media use (i.e., amount of television and Internet usage) and relationships to children's perceptions of societal threat and personal vulnerability. The sample consisted of 90 community youth aged 7 to 13 years (M = 10.8; 52.2% male) from diverse economic backgrounds. Analyses found children's television use to be…

A 1977-1978 study revealed that intimate sexual acts on commercial prime time television occurred once or more per hour but that there was a distinct downward slope in the overall rate of occurrence from 1976 to 1978. The most prevalent sexual references were to intercourse among nonmarried partners. (GT)

Among the findings from a survey of 435 third-through seventh-grade children is that substantial numbers of children watch television news in formats designed for both adults and children, that children believe news is produced to serve a number of different functions, and that they receive different patterns of gratifications from viewing. (GT)

Examined the cultural basis and relevance of "Zhima Jie," a Chinese adaptation of "Sesame Street." Found that most of 3- to 6-year-olds in the sample desired books and learning materials, with disadvantaged children more likely than more advantaged children to desire books and learning materials. Older children showed a greater…

Indicates that (1) both younger (four-five years) and older (seven-eight years) children were significantly less likely to discriminate commercial from program content when the host-selling format was viewed, and (2) older children are more favorably influenced by the same commercial content when it is seen in a host-selling presentation than in a…

Concludes that first-, third-, and fifth-grade students' beliefs about whether television characters were representative of real-life people related to their mothers' statements. (FL)

This study of the capacity of television to influence children's attitudes and behavior towards other racial groups examined children's playmate preference after viewing racially integrated television programs. Testing for delayed effects and generalization of effects extended previous work in the area. (JVP)

A survey of 148 children revealed that although the majority of children from both low-income and moderate-to-high income backgrounds understood the selling intent of television commercials for cereals, there were significant differences between income groups in children's ability to evaluate the nutritional value of heavily advertised cereals.…

Results of a study conducted with 721 fourth, sixth, and eighth graders were not supportive of the assumed role of children's perceived reality of television in determining the impact of exposure to television on children's social behavior. (GT)

Presented videotaped "Sesame Street" segments to explore preschoolers' ideas about disabilities. Found that most were aware that the videotaped children had difficulty performing age-appropriate tasks, but had fewer ideas about why the child with Down syndrome had difficulty than about the child using a wheelchair. Significantly more…

Presents 10 questions pertaining to the amount of control over television viewing in the home to 100 families. Preliminary evidence included indications that (1) viewing habits are affected by the number of sets in the house and (2) parents who frequently watch television exert greater influence over their children's use. (MER)

Presents a study of the effects, on Australian children, of viewing American television programs. Concludes that the cultivation of beliefs about the world, at least in cases of violence and crime, does occur even when the messages are imported from another country. (PD)

This article reviews the research findings which have established relations between television viewing and the subsequent attitudes and behaviors of viewers, emphasizing the influence of televised violence. It identifies the implications and remedies for public policy, for society, and for the parents and educators responsible for children's daily…

Provides examples from a study of six test segments of the television series "Alam Simsim," the Egyptian "Sesame Street," to illustrate how a systematic analysis of children's artwork can be used with other research tools to gain feedback from children. Shows how formative research is used to bring children into the production…

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)