Visual processing of televised information was compared among 85 Japanese and 111 American boys and girls at the kindergarten and 4th-grade levels. The literatures on cognition and learning indicate that language and child rearing factors are more conducive to the development of iconic processing skills in Japanese children than in American children, a phenomenon which increases with age. The reverse pattern is found for verbal processing skills. It was predicted that after viewing a television program without narration or dialogue, Japanese children's amount and concentration of visual attention and comprehension would be higher than that of American children, particularly at the 4th-grade level. Results confirmed the predictions for visual attention, suggesting that different television processing strategies were employed. Contrary to the predictions, American children scored higher than Japanese children on the comprehension test, perhaps because of the cultural differences in expectations about the testing procedure. The results are discussed in the context of processing differences. Alternative explanations for the findings are explored, and directions for future research are suggested. Appended are seven pages of references, seven tables and two figures. (Author/RH)