Proposing the use of a single comprehensive communications model, the Circles of Context Model, for all forms of communication, this paper shows how the model can be used to identify different kinds of criticism of the television comedy series "All in the Family" and the ways in which that criticism shifted during the show's nine-year…

To improve techniques for measuring concepts related to audience perceptions of the reality of television programing, a study established three goals: (1) to reduce the number of items currently used to measure perceived superficiality, perceived plausibility, and the degree of personal utility; (2) to determine whether a single item measure of…

Cultivation theory states that television engenders negative emotions in heavy viewers. Noting that cultivation methodology contains an apparent response bias, a study examined relationships between television exposure and positive restatements of cultivation concepts and tested a more instrumental media uses and effects model. Cultivation was…

To compile a comprehensive review of English language scientific literature regarding the effects of television on human behavior, the authors of this book evaluated more than 2,500 books, articles, reports, and other documents. Rather than taking a traditional approach, the authors followed a new model for the retrieval and synthesis of…

It is widely believed that television viewing has a negative impact on school achievement. This belief is supported by negative statistical associations sometimes found between school achievement and amount of television viewing; that is, heavy TV viewers tend to show poorer achievement than light viewers. One possible explanation of this…