This paper discusses several considerations and techniques in doing research which attempts to measure the effects of visual images on viewers. For example, to describe precisely the effects of some element of a visual image or series of images, researchers must be able to specify the institutional context in which the image is presented and…

A follow-up national study surveyed 500 television and radio broadcasters to further understanding of their role as gatekeepers for public service announcements (PSAs) to educate audiences about AIDS, and to bring about "safe" behavior. Respondents were asked to provide information about their stations, and their stations' use of…

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting participated in the 1993 Yankelovich Youth Monitor in order to determine information about kids and television viewing in 1990s. The Youth Monitor is a study of 1,200 children ages 6-17 conducted with an in-home interview in randomly selected households throughout the United States. The study asks kids a…

The Politics and Mass Media section of this collection of conference presentations contains the following 13 papers: "The 1992 Presidential Debates: A Cognigraphic View" (Richard F. Carter and Keith R. Stamm); "Moving to the Front of the Bus?: Network Coverage of the Invisible Primaries during the 1988 and 1992 Elections"…

The Health, Science, and the Environment section of these proceedings contains the following seven papers: "Columbus, Mars, and the Changing Images and Ideologies of Exploration: A Critical Examination" (Lin Bin and August T. Horvath); "Prime Time TV Portrayals of Sex, 'Safe Sex' and AIDS: A Longitudinal Analysis" (Dennis T.…

This paper states that college radio invokes two ends of a language spectrum -- the clean language authorized for on-air use and the dirty language prohibited from such use, and that the interaction between the two produces "expositional obscenity," a catalytic form of discourse that invites the audience to render a judgment about…

This study examined the relationship of nonverbal encoding and decoding skills to the level of exposure to television. Subjects were children in second through sixth grade. Three nonverbal skills (decoding, spontaneous encoding, and posed encoding) were assessed for each of five emotions: anger, disgust, fear or surprise, happiness, and sadness.…

The debate over American dominance of mass media exports gained new momentum in the late 1980s, when the European Community moved toward restricting the number of television programs imported from non-European countries. Research suggests that Europeans enjoy American television programs such as "Dallas" because the series embody basic…

The study described in this report was designed to measure the attitudes of Virginians towards higher education in Virginia and towards some environmental problems facing the Commonwealth. The survey questioned 517 Virginia citizens over age 18 whose households were chosen through random-digit-telephone dialing. Among the findings of the survey…

To investigate whether television viewers respond differently to presidential debaters than radio listeners do (in other words, does visual content significantly shape the way audience members evaluate the candidates?), a study examined the first Ronald Reagan-Walter Mondale debate in 1984. Subjects, 66 adult volunteers (35 assigned to television…

An interactive and technological approach was used to discuss ethics with accounting students. Students responded anonymously to ethics questions using wireless transmitters. The students' responses were shown to the group. A customized DVD of movie scenes from "The Producers" and "Wall Street" and a still picture of Enron's…

This handbook for organizing performance presentations, designed for professional organizations and volunteer or not-profit organizations, focuses on how to manage a presenting organization. The volume features 40 specific rules to guide groups presenting performances. The rules include: (1) get organized, (2) know the law, (3) remember performers…

Children Now, with the UCLA Center for Communication Policy and Stanford University, hosted the fifth annual Children and the Media Conference. The conference focused on the intersections among race, class, children, and the media. This report highlights the thinking of participating executives, producers, writers, advocates, academics, and…

Examined the triggering effect of maritally related suicide stories in the mass media on monthly suicide rates of those involved in divorce or in marital distress. Support was found for this effect, independent of season and of changes in unemployment, but the unemployment rate was more closely associated with suicide than suicide stories in the…

Investigates whether frequent small group readings in school increases comprehension scores and the number and complexity of comments and questions from children of low socioeconomic status. Finds that story reading in small groups increases comprehension and the number and complexity of questions and comments. (RS)