This field experiment begins to build a theoretical framework for exploring the effects of media characteristics on subjects' understanding and integration of information. Students in two eighth-grade science classes wrote term papers with one class using a print encyclopedia and the other an electronic encyclopedia to conduct their research. 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…

A study examined the influence of news about single nations on U.S. residents' inferences about groups of foreign countries. Subjects, 150 students in introductory psychology, writing, and mass communications courses at a U.S. state university, were randomly assigned to treatment groups. Participants answered questions concerning a group of…

A study investigated the perceived source credibility of organizations that produce health messages. Manipulated versions of a health advertisement were generated to represent three types of organizational sources: a nonprofit source, a for-profit source, and a combination of for-profit and nonprofit sources. The advertisements were then produced…

The 52 papers in this volume, which represent recent research and applications in the field of computer-based instruction, are grouped under 10 general topic areas: (1) computer-based training; (2) elementary, secondary, junior college, and math education; (3) health; (4) home economics; (5) implementation; (6) mini-microcomputers; (7) PILOT; (8)…

The effects of sexist language on the status and self-concept of women is investigated in this paper, with particular emphasis on media sexism. The paper first examines the origin and effects of some of the most common ways in which language is used to reinforce existing sex stereotypes. The paper then discusses: (1) ways to weed out of daily…

This paper describes the unique development of media histories among developing peoples as compared to the western world's media development sequence from orality to literacy, print, film, and electronics. The fallacy of unilineal cultural evolution is presented, reviewed in terms of how it persists in current theories of media history, and then…

Third in a series, this loose-leaf guide reviews resources for evaluating, selecting, and using software for teaching reading and communication skills. Sources of educational software listed include both commercial publishers and public domain sources. Software selection information sources are divided into journals, newsletters, and special…

This in-depth review of the literature synthesizes articles and abstracts identified as education-oriented microcomputer research studies published since 1979. A brief, historic overview of educational computing is followed by a review of the Becker (1983) survey, which concerned the distribution of microcomputers in education in the United…

Computer assisted learning (CAL) is an old technology which has generated much new interest. Computers can: reduce data to a directly comprehensible form; reduce administration; communicate worldwide and exchange, store, and retrieve data; and teach. The computer's limitation is in its dependence on the user's ability and perceptive nature.…

A study examined the content of direct mail materials, distributed by the National Organization for Women (NOW) and Stop ERA groups, favoring or opposing passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. It was expected that NOW's pieces would concentrate on counteracting or counterattacking Stop ERA's arguments against the amendment (military draft, lesbian…

Noting that specific audience reaction to the media coverage of the various stages of an organized protest is seldom documented, this monograph analyzes the consequences of extensive media coverage during the crucial stages of a social protest against the construction of a high voltage powerline. In particular, the monograph considers two…

The 63 papers in this collection include two keynote addresses: "Patient Simulation Using Interactive Video: An Application" (Joseph V. Henderson), and "Intelligent Tutoring Systems: Practice Opportunities and Explanatory Models" (Alan Lesgold). The remaining papers are grouped under five topics: (1) Artificial Intelligence,…

To investigate whether television viewers respond differently to presidential debaters than radio listeners do (in other words, does visual content significantly shape the way audience members evaluate the candidates?), a study examined the first Ronald Reagan-Walter Mondale debate in 1984. Subjects, 66 adult volunteers (35 assigned to television…

In early 1983, a questionnaire was sent to members of the Public Relations Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication to determine whether they perceived the role of public relations practitioners to be one of four types: expert prescriber, communication technician, communication facilitator, or problem solving…