Examines the portrayal of intimate sexual behavior on soap operas and concludes that soap operas have more sexual content than do prime-time programs, but the types of intimacies differ. Notes that soap operas are potentially a major force in the transmission of values and sexual information to youthful viewers. (PD)

Finds that soap operas analyzed in 1994 contain more frequent sexual incidence on an hourly average, both within the same soaps analyzed a decade earlier and even more so on two additional very popular soaps. Shows that the more frequent sex centers on physical intercourse, primarily among partners not married to anyone; and sexual activity is…

An earlier study (ED 048 772) sought to determine the perceptions of televised violence among pre-teen males from varying racial and socio-economic backgrounds. In this replication of the study teenage boys were used as subjects. The general method of the study was to show the boys a sequence of television vignettes, comprised of violent and…

A study was conducted to explore the relationship between a child's exposure to television content portraying various levels of physical agression, verbal aggression, altruism, and affection, and that child's enactment of these four types of behavior under different conditions of parent-child co-viewing and discussion of the television content.…

Childrens' perceptions of reality in television are examined as an intervening variable between exposure to the medium and the effect of TV messages. Among the findings of this study are that perceptions of the reality of TV increase as the specificity of content increases. (Author/AM)

Three research projects studied in detail the mass media behaviors of poor children, adolescents, and adults. These studies focused on a complete range of media behaviors--media use, availability, content preferences, functions, and attitudes. They considered a comprehensive set of media including radio, television, newspapers, magazines,…