Examines all network prime-time television aired from 1963 through 1985 to determine the effect of available program options on inheritance effects. Indicates that a strong lead-in increases audience share, especially when the program is new, of the same type as the preceding program, or one of few viewing alternatives. (JD)

Examines whether role assignments to television sets (assignments of particular content to particular screens) influence what viewers think about what they watch. Finds that designating TV sets for specialized functions or uses results in more positive evaluations of the content, even when the TV sets and programming are identical. (SR)

Finds that soap operas analyzed in 1994 contain more frequent sexual incidence on an hourly average, both within the same soaps analyzed a decade earlier and even more so on two additional very popular soaps. Shows that the more frequent sex centers on physical intercourse, primarily among partners not married to anyone; and sexual activity is…

Examines images of World War II invoked in two live, international music concerts (one rock, one classical) celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall. Argues that Western television's choice of imagery represented the Wall's demise as a marker of the end of the Cold War rather than a vanishing monument of Germany's conflicted struggle with Holocaust…

States that contrary to previous reports of "grazing," most viewers only used their remote control devices (RCDs) once or twice every half hour. Claims that the dominant RCD operation was direct channel punching, as opposed to dial turning. Concludes that most RCD activity did not take place during a program, thus voiding industry…

Contributes to research on schema theory and media effects by examining how violence is portrayed in comedy programs. Finds a high rate of violence (especially verbal forms) on comedy programs; and the combination of humor, minor acts of violence, and program context tend to trivialize its presence. Suggests that viewers' schema for comedy uses…

Examines the soap opera world by analyzing the conversation and relationship to real-life conversation. Reveals that soap operas provide a subtle blending of the real and the not-real, but that part of the reality lies within the conversation: the relationships of conversants, their topics, and conversational styles. (PD)

Compares American middle-class children, as representatives of heavy television viewers, and Israeli middle-class children, as representatives of lighter television viewers, to determine the extent to which accumulated television viewing enhances the development of particular mental skills. (PD)

Indicates that prime-time television presents a remarkably consistent portrayal of the world across program genres and that it offers few scheduling alternatives to avoiding violence-laden adventure programs. Finds that the average viewer has little opportunity to exercise any kind of choice in viewing. (JD)

Indicates that (1) less affluent, less educated, and divorced and separated respondents are more inclined than others to watch television to avoid the negative moods that often coincide with solitude and unstructured time; and (2) personality dispositions and internal states are more likely to dictate media use than vice versa. (JD)

Describes patterns of exposure and motivation of adolescent sample group. Correlates findings with race, gender, involvement with peers, attitude toward school, and other personal circumstances. (MS)

Analyzed episodes of "All My Children" and "General Hospital," as reported in the 1980 issues of "Soap Opera Digest." Found that moral violations tended to be resolved consistently with traditional moral standards. Suggests that criticisms of soap operas' effects on morals may not be totally warranted. (PD)

Studied the nuances of perceived media bias by examining the television reporting of the 1976 Presidential election campaign by comparing the adjudged positivity of the facial expressions of network anchorpersons as they named or referred to either of the two candidates. (JMF)

Examines the relative relationship of heavy and light television viewing and anxiety. Studies the effect of action adventure programs in which justice triumphs and those with a preponderance of injustice on anxiety and on viewers' voluntary selective exposure to further action adventure fare. (JMF)

Examines the effects on students of watching "Channel One." Finds a direct effect in that those who watch a television news show in the classroom learn more news and want to buy more of the products they see advertised than those who are not exposed to the program. (RS)