Attempts to elaborate the cultivation hypothesis by examining some proposed subprocesses, especially learning and construction with first- and second-order measures. Examines the relationship between first- and second-order measures. Argues that cultivation theory needs to be extended. (SR)

Shows that long before it translates into actual behavior, the content and forms that romance assumes in the postmodern nexus of media and the market shape children's romantic imagination. Explores how children's imagined vision of romance moved from one molded by media to one characterized by a tension between what media promised and their…

Investigates the diffusion of information about the space shuttle Challenger explosion by comparing loglinear models of the diffusion process. Finds that the most parsimonious model with adequate goodness of fit was a linear one in which a person's location affected how the information was heard, which in turn affected when the information was…

These proceedings contain the following seven papers: "An Examination of Community Pluralism, News Framing, Source Use and Conflict of an Environmental Issue" (Cynthia-Lou Coleman and others); "The Effectiveness of 'How' Graphics and Text in Conveying Basic News Story Information" (Jeffrey L. Griffin and Robert L. Stevenson);…

Proposes an interactive model of political development that predicts that socialization effects of communication will be moderated by age, such that younger children will be influenced less than older children by the same communication source. Test the model on 290 children in grades 5 through 12. Finds strong support for the model. Discusses…

This paper argues that in presidential politics new and highly sophisticated image-building techniques and the technological means for creating messages have proliferated during the past twenty years. The paper claims that the area where the most "image-building" is conducted is the television spot advertisement, but points out that…

This research review explores the propaganda model proposed by E. S. Herman and N. Chomsky (1988) as an alternative way of looking at the American news media. The study begins with a review of the theoretical assumptions and the supporting empirical findings highlighting the propaganda framework, following which is a synthesis of research…

An important resource for educators interested in incorporating material about mass media and race into their teaching might be academic research conducted in universities and media research organizations and published in academic journals. However, because certain forms of racial thinking "saturate" all forms of knowledge production in…

Intended for researchers and students in mass media theory, this paper examines the development of the concept of meaning in media studies. It considers the epistemological and sociological roots of the concept, arguing that such an analysis is pivotal in understanding the differences in current research perspectives. The notion of meaning in…