A diagnostic study tested the hypothesis that still advertising pictures and television commercials are governed by a basic visual communication principle: that viewers' comprehension and retention of still and moving images depends greatly on the harmonious coexistence of their figure/ground relationships. Ten still images (half in black and…

An exploratory study examined the perceptions of creative directors and broadcast production managers in advertising agencies regarding the perceived effects of the 15-second commercial upon creative formats and production techniques. A sample of 600 randomly selected advertising executives and managers were surveyed using a 55-item mailed…

Advertisers should note that married working women tend to read more magazines and watch less television than married non-working women. (RL)

Preliminary data from a study-in-progress support the view that public information campaigns may have greater efficacy than shown by previous research. To evaluate the public impact of the Advertising Council's "Take a Bite Out of Crime" campaign, which was aimed at promoting greater citizen involvement in crime prevention activities,…

Brief research reports discuss Latin America as seen on United States network television; television news coverage of federal regulatory agencies; community perceptions of media impressions; active television viewing and cultivation hypothesis; the impact of cable on traditional television news viewing; George Kibbe Turner; advertising; and…

A study tested responses of viewers (as opposed to news organizations and sponsoring firms) to video news releases (VNRs). Subjects, 81 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory advertising course, viewed a 30-second message about McDonald's and the Big Mac in a VNR format or an advertisement about the Big Mac special "Meal…

A study examined the effects of factors (including television, family, peers, age, and socioeconomic status) on consumer socialization, the process by which individuals develop consumption-related cognitions and behaviors. The specific criterion variables studied included consumer affairs knowledge, puffery filtering, consumer finance management,…

Summarizes recent research on the following topics: media coverage and information-seeking behavior, newspaper treatment of state government releases, magazine evaluations and readership, motivation for viewing television programs, sex differences in bylines, photojournalism, advertising on children's television, television editorial themes,…

A study examined the status of research on effects of pictorial advertising and areas within the field which need additional work. The method of investigation was based on a model of memory, incorporating emotional, semantic, and episodic processing of information--focusing primarily on constructing a preliminary taxonomy of visual stimuli, a…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 37 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the role of television in the lives of older homebound individuals; (2) radio wars between Cuba and the United States; (3) the relationship between…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 45 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the relationship of Jungian psychological traits and the effects of comparative advertising; (2) processing and reconstructing television narrative content;…

Examines the role of television in media education and investigates methodological and organizational principles adduced for the study of media during Mediamix, a weekly television program for 10- to 14-year olds shown on TV Malta. Results of an evaluation of the series, including surveys of viewers and teachers, are reported. (Contains 23…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 36 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) content diversity in local television news; (2) advertising influences on consumers' use of evidence; (3) organized labor and the mass media; (4) feminist film…

This yearbook compiles research findings on children and youth and media violence from the perspective of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The thematic focus of this yearbook is on what is being done to combat gratuitous media violence. It presents information on media education and children's media participation. Section…