Research has examined the ability of entertainment-education (E-E) programs to influence behavior across a variety of health and social issues. However, less is known about the underlying mechanisms that account for these effects. In keeping with the extended elaboration likelihood model (E-ELM) and the entertainment overcoming resistance model…

Examines the role of motives, attitudes, and audience activity in explaining affective, cognitive, and behavioral involvement of daytime soap opera viewers. Finds that viewing attention and perceived realism of soap opera content correlated with parasocial interaction, suggesting that parasocial interaction may be a functional alternative to…

Examines how college students' marital schemata influences their evaluations of television couples' marital satisfaction. Finds that greater similarity between marital schemata and ratings of television couples' marriage type was associated with higher ratings of perceived television marital satisfaction. Notes that this effect held only for the…