In this tear-out supplement, PTR collects some recent and useful thinking on the effects of televised violence. The pieces range from three contributions to a USC seminar on violence, to a science-fiction author's review of violence through the ages. (Author)

Defines the violence profile as a set of indicators tracing aspects of the television world and of conceptions of social reality they tend to cultivate in the viewer's minds. Suggests using cultural indicators as a framework for a progress report on a long-range study of trends in television content and effects. (MH)

A second study examined subjects' ratings of liking for an adventure program which was presented to them either in an uncut version or with the violence deleted. (Author/JMB)

Presents systematic evidence that violent, fictional television stories trigger imitative deaths and near-fatal accidents. In 1977, suicides, motor vehicle deaths, and nonfatal accidents all rose immediately following soap opera suicide stories. (AM)

A critique of an article which identified characteristics of children who watch television. (BD)

A study was devised to investigate the possible impact of fictional television violence on children with reference to short and long term effects. Thirty-four children ranging in age from five to six were selected from a sample of children who had seen a series of violent television programs and were divided into two groups according to high and…

Reviews the current Violence Profile (number 8) which reports on fall 1976 television network programing. The discussion includes comment on the violence index and the risk ratio sections of the profile, but does not cover the third section of Gerbner's profile, cultivation index. (JEG)

The Cultural Indicators Research Team's analysis of the CBS report suggests that the Gerbner Violence profile is defined too broadly, and composed of an arbitrary set of measures; employs faulty units of analysis; is inadequate on the basis of time sampled; and measures relative rather than absolute victimization, which probably does not…

Includes key sections of the CBS response to the analysis of the Cultural Indicators Research Team on the Gerbner Violence Profile. (JEG)

Continues the dialogue on CBS criticisms of the Gerbner Violence Profile. (JEG)

Contributes to research on schema theory and media effects by examining how violence is portrayed in comedy programs. Finds a high rate of violence (especially verbal forms) on comedy programs; and the combination of humor, minor acts of violence, and program context tend to trivialize its presence. Suggests that viewers' schema for comedy uses…

A study was conducted in which half-hour segments of prime-time network dramatic programing were tabulated for such violence-related items as: the seriousness and significance of violence, the number of violent actions in the program, and the duration of violence. Other factors considered were: audience size, share of audience, program duration,…

The opening statement of Senator John O. Pastore for the hearings on the Surgeon General's Report on Television and Social Behavior is presented. His first few comments are directed toward summarizing the history of the report and of the Scientific Advisory Committee, with some remarks about the selection of the Committee. The critical importance…