Assesses the effectiveness of two reality explanations on children's reactions to frightening programs. Shows that neither influenced younger children's emotional or cognitive reactions, whereas the special tricks explanation reduced older children's emotional responses with no impact on their interpretation. Shows that the real life explanation…

Examines the effectiveness of direct mail communication strategies--inoculation (a strategy which promotes resistance to attitude and behavior change), inoculation-plus-reinforcement, and refutation messages--in combating the persuasiveness of political attack messages. Finds that inoculation is more effective than the refutation approach in…

Finds that communication modality moderates effects of power of language style on attitudes toward speaker's recommendation but not on evaluations of the speaker. Indicates that systematic information processing is used to form attitudes toward a recommendation when arguments are represented in writing, whereas audio and audio-visual modes…

Tests whether the effects of forewarning about a suspenseful film are dependent upon one's preferred way of coping with stressful events (assessed with the Miller Behavioral Style Scale). Discusses the individual difference variable in terms of behavioral dispositions located in the activation-arousal system. (SR)

Finds an inverted-U shaped relationship between frequency of exposure to rock and popular songs and affect toward the songs among undergraduate students. Finds no support for the hypothesis that subjective novelty and complexity interact with exposure in determining affective evaluations. (SR)

Explores a view of audience behavior that lies between the extremes of a passive audience expected to be influenced by communication messages and an active audience expected to make rational decisions about what media content to accept and reject. (RS)