The International Communication section of the proceedings contains the following nine papers: "Mobile Satellite Communications--From Obscurity to Overkill" (Patricia T. Whalen); "Does Television Cultivate the Image of America in Japan?" (Shinichi Saito); "Linking International News to U.S. Interests: A Content…

The Media and Society section of this collection of conference presentations contains the following 14 papers: "A Portrait of Urban Conflict: The 'L.A. Times' Coverage of the Los Angeles Riots" (Tony Atwater and Niranjala D. Weerakkody); "Perceptions of News Media Managers toward Their Own Corporate Community Responsibility"…

Presents research data indicating that newspapers and magazines are the mass media sources considered most helpful to people seeking medical information. (MH)

Using data from a 1980 study of Iowa caucus and state nominating convention attendees a study investigated the newspaper and television use of political activists and opinion leaders or elites. Demographic and psychological variables were used to explain differences in media use behavior between the two groups, as well as to determine how the…

Based on an audience study conducted in London to investigate the educational relevance of the differentiated response of young people 11 to 16 years old to popular culture, this paper discusses: (1) the reason why this and further studies of this type are needed; (2) the main findings of the study with emphasis on the way in which young people's…

High turnout for the 1980 Iowa caucuses and conflicting explanations for that high turnout formed the background for an investigation of the relationship between media uses and gratifications, involvement in the local community, and caucus participation. Campaign fan gratifications--either excitement seeking or communicative utility--were…

Behavioral effects studies of mediated violence have traditionally focused on four paradigms: limited effects/reinforcement, instigation, imitation, and catharsis. The catharsis perspective suggests that the desire or need to exhibit aggressive or hostile behaviors is reduced by a release of those desires through vicarious or behavioral…

Media dependency was examined as a complex construct involving the interactions of exposure to television news, exposure to newspapers, and expression of reliance on one medium or the other. A weighted sample of 2,402 respondents was used, representing the United States national population in 1976. A questionnaire assessed each subject's political…

Uses and gratifications research involves a critical appraisal of conceptual and theoretical issues in mass communication and is concerned with what audience members do with the media. Activation theory understands people as active manipulators of their environment. (Activation refers to that level of psychological and physiological excitement an…

The fundamental limits of the functional approach to the study of mass communication are embodied in two of its criticisms. The first weakness is in its logical structure and the second involves the limits that are set by known methods. Functional analysis has difficulties as a meaningful research perspective because the process of mass…

Based on data from eight studies that have contributed the bulk of research on adolescents' uses of and gratification from the medium of television, the following conclusions emerge: the time spent watching television peaks at age 12 and declines by 10% by age 18; television provides a means of escape, relaxation, entertainment, and relief from…

The purpose of this paper is to extend Gage Chapel's application of Kenneth Burke's dramatistic pentad to the persuasive aspects of television programs and to examine its relevance to television criticism. The five concepts underlying a Burkeian analysis are discussed: act, scene, agent, agency, and purpose, and the elements within Burke's…

During the gavel-to-gavel coverage by public television of the Watergate Hearings of the Select Committee on Campaign Practices, audience makeup and attitudes in Florida were surveyed and profiled. Findings showed that blacks were attracted in greater proportion than whites, and males more than females. Spanish-speaking persons tended to avoid the…

This paper argues for the increased use of mass media content in the classroom. The overall benefits of using mass media content far outweigh the negative "mental set" effect. (Author/AM)

Measures the indirect effect a home video system has on children's leisure activities, school work, and peer contacts. Concludes that owning a video game does not greatly alter a child's activities. (HOD)