This paper makes a critical exploration into the core epistemological assumptions of mainstream television effects research and explains why the mainstream study of the cognitive impact of television on children suffers from two reductionist tendencies, i.e., television is understood by most researchers to be solely a technical medium, and most cognitive effects of television are perceived to be relevant only to cognitive skills and knowledge. It is argued that the impact of television on beliefs has generally been left unexplored and unexplained, and that this double reductionism has reinforced researchers' optimistic analyses of television's potential for children's education. In addition, the paper describes how such analyses focus on what television--and video technology--can be made to do (the intended effects), and thus automatically rule out systematic consideration of unintended effects. Based on an understanding of both the historical determination of television as a profit-making institution and the specific quality of television for making its messages believable, researchers are urged to consider an alternative perspective aimed at investigating primarily and directly the unintended cognitive effects of television. (17 notes, 117 references) (Author/CGD)