Questionnaires were distributed in the fall of 1984 to a sample of Nigerian public relations practitioners who attended a monthly meeting of the Lagos Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations to examine the extent to which they perceived themselves as responsible to Nigerian society. Their perceptions were then compared with those of…

To enhance knowledge of media consumption processes, a study compared the abilities of six alternative gratification models to predict media satisfaction, specifically, satisfaction with television news. The models were three different formulations of gratifications sought/obtained discrepancies--two emphasizing gratifications obtained and one…

A random sample of 138 adults was assigned to view one version of a news program in their homes to compare recall of news given by a television newscaster with recall of that provided by a frequently used form of videotex. Both the standard newscast and the cable newspaper gave the viewer no opportunity to select information. News stories were…

A study examined the portrait of the woman journalist as revealed through the autobiographies of eight women journalists whose careers spanned the decades of the 1920s and 1930s. The portrait was derived from several factors in the autobiographies: education and career commitment, character of personality traits, jobs in the profession, statements…

Random samples of 786 Indianapolis, Indiana, residents and 413 residents of The Netherlands were interviewed in a study of media-related gratifications. Although the Dutch and American cultures and media systems differ considerably, a number of striking similarities emerged in the findings of this study, including similarities for the relative…

This study compared childrens' apprehension of an unfamiliar story either read to them from an illustrated book or presented as a comparable televised film. Subjects were 48 children, 24 of them six to seven years old, and 24 nine to ten years old, who were randomly assigned to one medium condition and individually presented the story. Response…

Explains how differential coverage of politics, policy, and personality regarding the same two events in three different media--a local newspaper, an elite newspaper, and television network news--reveals three different portraits of presidential concerns and actions. (MM)

Although communication research in China is in an early stage of development, an increasing number of training/research activities exist in universities and institutes. The 1982 Beijing Audience Survey, the first large-scale communication field study in China, reports how mass media audiences (newspaper, radio, and television) are rapidly…

The Advertising section of the Proceedings contains the following 13 papers: "Offering a Creative Track in the Advertising Major: A Case History" (Beth E. Barnes and Carla V. Lloyd); "Messages of Individualism in French, Spanish, and American Television Advertising" (Ronald E. Taylor and Joyce Wolburg); "Frequency Levels…

In April 1997 in the United Kingdom (UK), "Teletubbies," a television program designed for young children, debuted. Unexpectedly, it developed a cult following among college students. In April 1998 "Teletubbies" debuted in the United States (US) on PBS. A study compared alternative readings and deconstructions of…

This study, to determine whether complexity of detail, scale, and background help subjects to learn technical information, demonstrated no significant difference between groups. One group used the existing self-contained learning package with many complex visuals; the other group used lessons identical in the audio portion but containing…

Describes study of elementary school students in two age groups that assessed the impact of two control strategies on children's emotional reactions to a frightening movie scene. Hypotheses tested are explained, results of comparative analyses between the two age groups are discussed, and further research needs are suggested. (46 references) (LRW)

Discussion of the amount of mental effort children invest in television viewing versus book reading focuses on a Dutch study based on Salomon's model and his studies with children in Israel and the United States. The depth of information processed is discussed, and differences in results are examined. (18 references) (LRW)

In 1974, David H. Weaver used path analysis with data from 137 countries during four periods between 1950 and 1966 to test relationships between government control of the press and six other societal characteristics. The present study, which extended the time period of the original analysis by adding recently available data from 1979, constructed…

More than 200 high school principals and 175 school newspaper advisers responded to a survey that examined the similarities and differences in the two groups' evaluations of the important characteristics for newspaper advisers. The respondents supplied information concerning their schools and newspapers, their journalism training, and conflicts…