Two studies examined how adult age and time of measurement influence media preferences. Study 1 (using TV ratings data from 1970s to 1980s) found that the popularity of genres varied over time, but even after controlling for year, age groups differed in (a) genre choices (consistent with socioemotional selectivity theory) and (b) age of characters…

Examines by meta-analysis the effect that exposure to pornography produces on aggressive behavior under laboratory conditions considering a variety of possible moderating conditions. Demonstrates a homogeneous set of results showing that pictorial nudity reduces subsequent violent behavior, but that depictions of nonviolent sexual behavior and…

Examines whether errors in memory (specifically source confusions) contribute to the link between television viewing and social reality judgments. Finds that a manipulation of the visual similarity of the news and fictional programming affected subjects' tendency to make source confusions. (RS)

Examines a comprehensive model of information seeking resulting from the synthesis of three theoretical research streams: the health belief model, uses and gratifications research, and a model of media exposure. Suggests that models of information seeking from mass media should focus on purely communicative factors. (RS)

Examines comparative effects of five health campaign channels used in a risk-reduction project. Reveals that among three variables--reach, specificity, and impact--reach was highest for tip sheets, specificity was highest for booklets and then television programs. Finds newspaper messages had the most impact, followed by booklets and television…

Explores the role of mediation content and its grammatical structure in children's responses to a violent television program. Develops mediation strategies that emphasized the program as either factually inaccurate or socially unrealistic. Reveals that the utility of various approaches to mediation depend on the age and viewing history of the…

Examines theoretical and methodological controversies identified with the cultivation explanation of the way television shapes perceptions of social reality. Finds that content-specific viewing is a more reliable predictor than total viewing or select viewer sociodemographic variables of the public's tendency to perceive attorneys in the same way…

Presents a critical analysis of how cultivation (long-term formation of perceptions and beliefs about the world as a result of exposure to media) has been conceptualized in theory and research. Analyses the construct of television exposure. Suggests revisions for conceptualizing the existing theory and extending it. (RS)

Examines the ways in which individuals' perceptions of media use are influenced by others. Explains that three recent theories--critical mass theory, social influence model of media use, and adaptive structuration theory--suggest that individuals' perceptions of media emerge as a result of their interaction with others. Reports on a study that…

Analyzes the media-effects research published in this journal during the last 25 years via meta-analysis. Finds that, as children age, they better understand media messages; mass media are a significant source of learning; and media can influence attitudes. Discusses political, social, and educational implications, as well as implications for…

Examines the effect of priming negative stereotypic and positive counter-stereotypic portrayals of African Americans and women on interpretations of actual media events. Shows that a counter-stereotypic portrayal of an African American male led participants to make more external or situational attributions of responsibility to other African…

Examines the influence of happy outcome information and coping style on fourth and fifth graders' emotional responses to a frightening film sequence. Finds that prior knowledge of the happy outcome reduced self-reported fear and worry for "blunters" but not for "monitors." Discusses interpretations of findings and implications for understanding…