Examines the differences in how Black and White viewers process messages based on the race of television characters representing five occupations. Notes that findings from male college students suggest that Black viewers have better recall of Black occupational characters than White characters on television. Reveals evidence that both Black and…

Examines the impact of six years (1981-1987) of television deregulation by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Contends that the FCC's rule deletions have altered economic relations among segments of the television industry and its users, and discusses effects on the future of "free" television. (MS)

Explains socially reflected linguistic patterns resulting from the three most popular television genres. (MH)

Examines research on media effect on children over three epochs: film (1904-1939), radio (1930-1944), and television (1949 through the 1960s). Observes an overwhelming similarity in the research studies, concluding that earlier studies may have set the agenda for research and that the same concerns exist with each new technology. (PD)

Investigated television's role in disseminating the myth of the "happy poor," a device central in limiting social mobility to preserve the status quo. Found that television supports the myth in that working-class television families generally enjoy stronger interpersonal harmony, more agreeable personalities, greater felicity, and better problem…

Contributes to scholarship on the transcultural impact of media systems (and draws on media effects, political economy, and cultural studies research) by applying the soil erosion metaphor to transcultural impact of television. Discusses four processes associated with this model: cultural abrasion, cultural deflation, cultural deposition, and…

Reviews the current research on the effects of television advertising on children and the interaction between parent and child regarding the child's consumer behavior. Suggests areas for future research. (JMF)

Examines the contribution of British television viewing to viewers' politics. Finds an association between heavy television viewing and political centrism. Finds also that television constructs a mainstream around its fictional output while preserving pluralism through current affairs, and that political leaning does not occur through repetition…

Examines how television viewing may shape social perceptions of Blacks. Focuses on the amount of viewing and beliefs about racial integration, hypothesizing that heavy television viewers would report higher estimations of the prevalence of racial integration than would light viewers. (MS)

This longitudinal study provides some indication that heavy television viewing is significantly associated with elementary schoolchildrens' later aggressive behavior, restlessness, and belief in a "mean and scary world." (PD)

Examined effects of amount of television viewing, socioeconomic status, study habits, and home environment on sixth-graders' achievement in reading, mathematics, and written expression. Found, among other results, that students who viewed more than six hours of television per day had sharply lower achievement scores in all three content areas. (PD)

Examines how people from diverse cultural backgrounds interpret and use communication technology. Finds that the skill suggested by the concept of "media literacy" may not be strictly a result of experience and familiarity with the medium, and that at least some media-specific codes are analogs of perceptual processes. (MS)

Results indicate that children who frequently watch family television shows appear to believe that families in real life show the same support and concern for each other and that parents who discuss the reality and utility of such programs can influence the amount and kind of learning their children receive from television. (PD)