Like all television programing, programs for children are aimed to produce profit. Since cartoon shows are inexpensive, they are staples of children's television. These programs can offer sponsors a pure, undifferentiated audience at which to aim commercials for toys and breakfast cereals. In addition to cartoon shows, children watch "Sesame…

A content analysis of the 23 prime time and Saturday morning television programs most popular with children suggested that in prime time programs, assertive and helping behavior were more frequent than aggression in efforts to solve problems, but that the rate of aggression was higher in Saturday programs. (GT)

Recently collected data appear to warrant advancing some tentative conslusions concerning the short-term effects of violence in television on children: 1) children are exposed to a substantial amount of violent content on television, and they can remember and learn from such exposure; 2) correlational studies have disclosed a regular association…

The impact of television (TV) on children has been examined many times, and concern over potential connections between viewed violence and antisocial behavior has grown. The National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence concluded in 1969 that violence on television encourages real violence, especially among the children of poor,…

To some degree television is the current inheritor of anxiety over the effects of communications from outside the home, and is not alone among mass media in presenting sizeable amounts of violence. However the accessibility, pervasiveness, and very character of television make it the ultimate mass medium, and hence a cause for concern. Television…

A request by Senator John O. Pastore for an inquiry into the effect of televised crime and violence and anti-social behavior by individuals resulted in the formation of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior. The committee report consists of the conclusions reached by 12 behavioral scientists after a review of 40…

Content analyses of the depiction of aggression and images of reality on Canadian television were performed on 109 program tapes of top-rated Toronto programs. Content was coded in terms of global messages communicated, character portrayals, context and setting of the program, amount and nature of conflict portrayed, and detailed information on…

Examines research on television violence and links violence to specific programs commonly watched by young children. Maintains that television violence is related to aggressive behavior, lessened sensitivity to the results of violence, and increased fear. Examines public reactions to children's educational television programs. (Author/KB)

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…

In March of 1972 the Aspen Program on Communications and Society convened a meeting which brought together the Surgeon General, staff members connected with the Surgeon General's Report on Television and Violence, and social scientists. The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the Report, which had just been issued. This conference report…

During March 1972 the Subcommittee on Communications of the Committee on Commerce of the U.S. Senate held hearings on the Surgeon General's Report by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior. The complete text of those hearings is presented here. Included in those who testified before the committee were the Surgeon…

This digest describes the overall pattern of the results of research on television violence and behavior. Several variables in the relationship between television violence and aggression related to characteristics of the viewers and to the portrayal of violence are identified. Viewer characteristics included: age, amount of television watched,…