Examines television's impact on reading and school achievement in terms of the displacement hypothesis (watching television displaces developmental reading activities). Indicates small differences in reading scores for children watching two to four hours a day, but beyond four hours effects are negative and increasingly deleterious. (SR)

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)

Points out that the world of television activates, cultivates, and alters the gender schemata that children bring to the viewing situation. Finds that viewing can also promote creation of new schemata or modification of existing ones. (Author/RWB)

Indicates that (1) age and family control did not influence children's television viewing levels; (2) age influenced program preferences of children; (3) cartoon preferences related negatively to family control for the youngest groups; and (4) comedy and children's program preferences and television realism related positively to family control for…

Describes Michigan State University's use of telephone interviews to assess student attitudes in television courses and reviews data from a recent survey and classroom students' grades or attitudes toward mediated instruction. Evaluation utilization by producers, faculty, and administrators to improve instructional television is noted. (Author/MBR)

A secondary analysis of four General Social Surveys was performed to determine television's role in reducing social differentiation in the United States. An investigation of the extent to which television is associated with reduction in geographic regional impact on social and political attitudes indicates heavy viewers have more homogeneous…

Reviews studies of television's socializing impact on Black children. Discusses viewing behavior and exposure patterns, program preferences, motivations for watching television, and the effects of watching. Concludes with an agenda for future research, emphasizing the need for investigation of variables that mediate television's influence. (KH)

Discusses the increasing number of children viewing soap operas and reviews research findings of a study of third, fourth, and fifth graders' soap opera viewing habits in relation to motivation, age, gender, and what children learn about relationships from viewing. Parental mediation and further research needs are also discussed. (MBR)

Measures children's attention to television programs varying in pace and continuity and assesses recall of the temporal sequence of program events. Attention and comprehension covaried more in animated than in live shows. Age, continuity, and pace effects on recall were not fully accounted for by their effects on attention. (Author/AS)

Children from grades one through six judged commercially produced advertisements, specially produced "pseudocommercials," and verbal descriptions as better suited to advertise a feminine or masculine sex-typed toy. Comprehension of sex-typed connotations was predicted by home television viewing patterns but not by general knowledge of sex…

This replication of a 1969 study surveyed audience attitudes of 274 elderly adults about television and its importance in their lives. The report focuses on the issues of television as entertainment, companionship function, influence of commercials on buying decisions, preferred programing, objectionable programing, and television's portrayal of…

Findings indicate that the comprehension of television by kindergarten and first graders, as well as their beliefs about the reality of the medium, are reliably linked with parental mediation styles regarding television and more general patterns of discipline. (PD)

Describes steps taken by the American Broadcasting Corporation to assess the public's reaction to "The Day After." Pre-broadcast activities included a literature review, consultation with child development specialists, viewer's guide development, focus group research, and recommendations regarding children's viewing. Post-broadcast…

Selected findings from the formative evaluation of the "3-2-1 Contact" television series are provided. Also provided is a description of the series which attempts to harness the unique power of television to convey to youngsters the excitement and fascination of science. (JN)

A review of recent studies on the effects of television viewing on behavior indicates that television has significantly influenced cognitive and affective child development, social behavior, social relationships, and health attitudes and practices. Researchers and the television industry must collaborate to maximize television's positive effects.…