A study investigated whether adolescents' schemas about contraceptive use would influence their perceptions that a soap opera couple used birth control during sex. The study also examined the effects of increasing explicitness of characters' conversations about contraceptives on viewers' perceptions of the couple's contraceptive use. Thirty-six…

Presents preliminary results from a survey of 15- to 17-year-old Australians, exploring television's place within a rapidly expanding multimedia environment. Finds strong evidence for arguing that Australian youth's media use is currently in a state of flux. Lays foundations for more comprehensive studies of youth media use in Australia that might…

This book is a collection of selected articles (published in the 1990s) from "TelevIZIon," a specialized journal of the "Internationales Zentralinstitut fur das Jugend--und Bildungsfernsehen," that take up problems relating to media research and present national and international developments in the field of children's and…

The Studies on Television section of the proceedings contains the following 16 papers: "Television and the Cultivation of Perceptions about Racial Integration" (Paul Delva and others); "Breaking the News: The Ideology of Television News" (Paul Belgrade); "Whittle's Channel One and CNN's Newsroom: A Systematic Pilot Study…

The Entertainment Studies section of the proceedings contains the following 6 selected papers: "Mass Media Use and Teen Sexuality: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health" (Myra Gregory Knight); "Focus Group Analysis: Can It Help Explain Present Audience Discontent with Broadcast Network Television?"…

Describes a study in the United Kingdom that explored children's comprehension of television police dramas and the impact of the television shows on their perceptions of the police. Relationships between television viewing and beliefs about crime are discussed, and treatments for the experimental and control groups of children aged 10 to 16 years…

This pamphlet presents the results of a series of focus groups comprised of Native American children and adolescents regarding their perceptions of race and class in the media. The results indicated that although some youth were concerned most about the absence of their group in the media, others were primarily concerned about stereotyped…

Boys are especially active users of media, and researchers have suggested that the cumulative impact of media, such as television, movies, and music videos, may make them some of the most influential forces in boys' lives. This report presents the findings of a national poll of 1,200 young people (ages 10 to 17) and focus groups in which boys…

Examines the nature/prevalence of sexual content on television and in magazines. Describes theoretical mechanisms outlining potential socializing influences. Reviews evidence indicating that frequent/involved exposure to sexually oriented media genres relates to greater acceptance of stereotypical/casual attitudes about sex, higher expectations…

This booklet examines the influence of television on children and adolescents in developing and developed nations, reviewing research on television's relationship to child health and development. The first section reviews specific research on such variables as number of television sets in use, amount of time spent watching television, age, sex,…

Sports programming plays a significant role in the media messages that American boys receive today. To explore the messages that sports programming presents to its audience, this report relates the findings of a study that analyzed a representative selection of sports programs and their accompanying commercials; also presented are findings from a…

The Theory and Methodology Division of the proceedings contains the following 16 papers: "The Deep Audit as an Epistemology for the Watchdog: Computer-assisted Reporting and Investigative Journalism" (John E. Newhagen); "Race and Class in 1980s Hollywood" (Chris Jordan); "The Impact of Website Campaigning on Traditional…

Although America is engaged in a national dialogue about race, children's voices have yet to be heard on the matter. This study used a series of focus groups and a national poll of 10- to 17-year-olds to examine their views about race and the role of the media in shaping understanding. Participating in the polls were 1,200 children, 300 in each…