A study examined the extent to which the availability of cable television service in a household diverted viewers from local television channels. Questions concerning media use were included in three comprehensive market surveys conducted in three diverse areas. Approximately 1,000 telephone interviews were conducted in the three areas. The…

In partial replication of an analysis of the 1976 presidential campaign debates, two researchers analyzed the debate between Republican presidential candidates Ronald Reagan and George Bush (Houston, April 23, 1980) for its visual features, (amount and type of camera shots). The visual categories by which camera shots were coded included…

This paper presents a redefinition of the term "television," examines problems of determining the effects of television on children, reviews research on possible effects of TV on children, and concludes by focusing on prosocial, educational programming. The argument is made that because we are immersed in the phenomenon of television, we…

Since statistics on television viewing and television ownership suggest that this medium is a pervasive and powerful influence on most people's lives, it is potentially informative to identify and study that relative handful of people who are not regularly exposed to television, identifying their defining characteristics. In contrast to previous…

Televised sexuality is examined in the context of gender stereotypes for three recent, "new adult" programs which have been billed as departures from traditional treatments of sex roles and/or sexuality: "All That Glitters,""Soap," and "We've Got Each Other." Using these examples, the paper focuses on three main areas: (1) characters and settings…

This document contains the transcripts from a workshop to investigate strategies to use in dealing with violence on children's television. The papers given by outside experts include: (1) "Effect of Television Violence on Children and Youth" by Michael Rothenberg, (2) "Implications of the Psychological Effects of Television…

To investigate the factors behind the overall lack of success of televised public service announcements (PSAs), five Marine recruitment PSAs were studied using 138 college undergraduate students (75% male and 90% freshmen and sophomores). Results indicated the following: in general, the PSA messages were perceived as alienating by the students;…

In response to a 34-item questionnaire, 112 members of the United States House of Representatives gave their opinions of network television coverage of House activities and members. It was found that respondents believed that their access to network television is poor when compared to the President and to the Senate, although their actions are as…

This study examined the ways in which the spontaneous imaginative play and other social behaviors of 3- and 4-year-old children are affected by the frequency and patterns of their television viewing. The subjects were 141 children from predominantly white middle class homes. Pretesting was done to get an estimate of IQ (Peabody Picture Vocabulary…

The performance of local television stations with regard to programming and employment practices is a topic that lends itself well to investigation by journalism educators and their students. This paper examines the purposes of such a study and tells how to define the scope of the study and how to start it. It then offers suggestions for…

This paper suggests specific experimental designs, criteria measures, and testing procedures for the empirical study of various field forces operative in the structure of the television picture. The purpose of the paper is twofold: first, to illustrate, through selected videotapes, the various field forces and, second, to provide specific…

Studies and writings on the effects of television on children are reviewed and summarized. Topics are the young people's pattern of exposure to television, the nature of their viewing experience, the way they respond to television, and the direct effects on their values, attitudes and behavior. Research on the influence of television violence on…

This paper describes the production of three 30-second prosocial television spots and the evaluation of the effects of these spots on children's behavior. The psychological process of observational learning was used to conceptualize the way television viewing influences children's behavior; the three stages of observational learning (exposure,…

In research reported in this paper, an attempt was made to isolate arousal components due to the "form" of a television program from arousal components due to the "content" of the program. The following hypotheses were formulated: (1) emotional arousal will take place in programing segments depicting violent acts, (2) arousal due to the cognitive…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the introduction of cable television into a small Minnesota community, focusing on changes in viewing patterns and motives for watching. One hundred seventy-two individuals were contacted with a mail questionnaire: 34 completed an initial TV viewing log in which they kept track of their…