Discusses differences between the primary functions of the cerebral hemispheres, notes differences between conscious and subconscious responses of subjects in several research studies, and stresses the need for a whole series of questions (so far largely unasked) about how unconscious meanings are made from media. (GT)

Children's discussion of television horror shows is the basis for examining television's effect on children and the relationship between television and reading. It is recommended that more attention be paid to the importance of social contexts in which both reading and responding to television occur. Implications for classroom instruction are…

Recent research has focused on the faulty implications emitted by factual television accounts of real events, while television news has been described as a pseudo-reality created from the ongoing flow of events. Furthermore, the convenient metaphorical language of television news often creates images of reality in such a way that the reality and…

A comparison of the current television series "Miami Vice" with the "film noir" genre of American movies from the forties and fifties reveals many similar elements, such as visual style, mood, theme, and sensibility. "Miami Vice" is set in a large city whose art deco architecture provides an ironic contrast to noir's…

Two contradictory trends are developing in telecommunications. The first is increased viewing of television by minorities, while the second is decreased attention given to minority issues by the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) deregulatory stance. Minority groups consume more television than any other social groups, yet television's…

A review of research on television's major compositional factors was undertaken to determine the status of such research and to note the major variables involved in the structure of television pictures. It was found that such research could be grouped in four categories--lighting and color, staging, editing, and sound--and that these areas covered…

This paper reviews a number of studies of the portrayal of blacks and other minorities on television. Statistics and conclusions drawn from these studies are used to illustrate the argument that: (1) minorities are either excluded, presented as tokens on otherwise all white shows, or concentrated in large numbers on a relatively few shows; and (2)…

Reviews network telecasts of the 1984 nominating conventions from the perspective of the narrative paradigm. Indicates that ABC, CBS, and NBC each provided a distinct narrative. (JK)

Describes activities of the Developmental and Social Research Unit of the American Broadcasting Companies. Holds that the television industry (and the general industry sector) can collaborate with the academic community on research to provide mutual benefits for both groups. Discusses how such collaboration might be most effectively carried out.…

Presents evidence that, contrary to popular assumptions, television viewing and learning both involve a high degree of social interaction. "Collaborative learning television" is proposed as a means of promoting learning by taking advantage of the social nature of watching television and the social nature of learning. Twenty-five references are…

Argues that political debates can usefully be viewed as a "televisual" form. Shows how audiences bring conventions to the viewing of debates grounded in forms dominating television narrative. Illustrates this perspective by analyzing debates in the 1984 United States Senatorial race between Jesse Helms and James Hunt. (HB)

Because of the United States Court of Appeal's ruling ("Quincy Cable TV vs. Federal Communications Commission") that government regulation of what cable television stations can broadcast violates their First Amendment rights, a number of consequences have arisen concerning what cable stations are required to broadcast (must-carry rules),…

The 40 papers in this collection cover a wide variety of topics within the broad field of visual literacy. Three preliminary papers discuss visualization through film. The second section, which emphasizes visualization in a social context, contains 10 papers addressing cultural, political, social, and psychological issues, touching upon such…

Research in audience analysis has generally lumped together members of ethnic groups under a broad category of "nonwhites" and has ignored different orientations of these minority groups toward television and mass media. Despite increasing research interests in minority audiences, specific oriental populations have largely been ignored in regard…

This study of the images of women as portrayed on new television programs in 1984 not only compared them with the images of the last season, but examined the similarities and differences between these characters and real life women. Each continuing female character on every new show was coded for race, age, occupation, marital and socioeconomic…