Suggests that those who hold the greatest affinity with the television news program, "60 Minutes," watch the program to be entertained while seeking information. (FL)

A survey of 128 hospital patients produced the following findings about hospital-home television viewing differences. Viewing motivations differed between home and hospital contexts. Patients indicated that television was used in the hospital more often to pass the time, but less frequently for information, entertainment, and relaxation, than in…

Explores the psychological origins of media gratification by examining how pertinent psychological variables help explain television viewing motivation. Finds that parasocial interaction, anxiety, creativity, sensation seeking's disinhibition dimension, and television affinity and exposure, helped to predict viewing motivation. (PRA)

Indicates that (1) affinity, selectivity, and involvement predicted intentionality; (2) pass time motives, perceived realism, and reduced intentionality predicted nonselectivity; (3) pass time motives and reduced affinity predicted distractions; (4) information and nonentertainment motives, perceived realism, and intentionality predicted…

Compares television use among older adults in contexts of interpersonal communication, social interaction, and psychological confinement and nonconfinement. Findings indicate that environmental context is more influential than chronological age in determining viewing motivations, program preferences, and viewing behaviors. (Author/MER)

A study examined differences in television viewing behaviors and attitudes across age groups of children in their home environment. Personal interviews were conducted with 162 children, ages 5 to 12, in a midwestern elementary school. The interview assessed home environment (1) television viewing relationships, including viewing companion and…

Examines the role of motives, attitudes, and audience activity in explaining affective, cognitive, and behavioral involvement of daytime soap opera viewers. Finds that viewing attention and perceived realism of soap opera content correlated with parasocial interaction, suggesting that parasocial interaction may be a functional alternative to…

Investigating the nature of parasocial interaction (relationship of friendship or intimacy of the television viewer with a remote media personality). Developed a model to measure parasocial interaction and tested news-viewing motives and patterns. (PD)

Examination of the relationship between viewing motivation and viewing patterns among young adult television viewers identifies nine motivational categories: relaxation, companionship, habit, time passing, entertainment, social interaction, information, arousal, and escape. Two basic types of television use are described as time consumption and…

Identifies nine motivations for television viewing and relates these to age, viewing levels, television attitudes of attachment and reality, and program preferences. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of uses and gratifications research perspectives. (JMF)

Considers two issues in cultivation research. Examines relationships between television exposure and positive statements of social perceptions, and tests a model of instrumental media uses and effects. Finds television exposure to be unrelated to social attitudes, while program selectivity is related to all social attitudes except interpersonal…

Data from 464 adults were analyzed to provide a more heuristic paradigm for mass communication uses and gratifications research in a study of the interactive nature of television viewing motivations, viewing behavior, and attitude gratifications. Factor analysis located five principal television viewing motivations: passing time, information,…

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 two studies that examined how chronic loneliness influenced local news and soap opera viewing by nontraditional and traditional college students. The relationships between loneliness, media use, and interpersonal interaction are discussed, and discriminant analyses are presented that examined viewers' motives, attitudes, and activities…

Cultivation theory states that television engenders negative emotions in heavy viewers. Noting that cultivation methodology contains an apparent response bias, a study examined relationships between television exposure and positive restatements of cultivation concepts and tested a more instrumental media uses and effects model. Cultivation was…