Reports on a study that tested the applicability of drive-reduction and exposure learning models for gratifications received across three sources of political information. Concludes that the exposure learning model was more efficient for both newspaper and television news. (FL)

Reports on research that investigated the magnitude of knowledge gaps under varying levels of neighborhood newspaper publicity and organized group activities in an urban neighborhood. Concludes that high levels of group activity relate to both higher knowledge levels and greater knowledge gaps. (FL)

Reports on how computerized broadcast stations prepare the news. Discusses implications for news and education, pointing out ways teachers can prepare students for computerized newsrooms.

This critical review of some approaches to research on the effectiveness of television newscasts considers viewer characteristics, news item characteristics, presentation variables, and the confounding of these variables. The importance of behavioral science issues to such research is stressed. (MBR)

Reveals that Canada's daily newspapers display remarkable cultural affinities toward their readers' respective cultural homelands--the French-language newspapers toward France and the English-language ones toward the United Kingdom. (FL)

Notes that the courts have specific sanctions under the "Federal Rules of Civil Procedure" to ensure discovery in libel and invasion of privacy cases. Examines media-related cases in which courts have used these sanctions and relates them to nonmedia cases. (FL)

This experimental examination of the effects of close-up, medium, and long camera shots on jurors' perceptions of "strong" and "weak" witnesses found few effects, none of them direct. (PD)

Reviews the recent literature on mass media campaigns and communication approaches promoting drug abuse prevention aimed at four target audiences: youth, parents, women, and the elderly. Cited the importance of audience analysis, of segmenting audiences into subgroups, and of designing customized presentations as critical across all target…

A survey of 235 5th and 6th grade children and their mothers gathered data to compare children's perception of television violence with that of their mother. (JY)

In three college level psychology courses the author has used a "media project" technique to relate course content to popular media. Students search popular media for items applicable to the course and then rate them for relevance, centrality, and degree of misrepresentation. (AV)

This document compiles and classifies research findings on the influences of media violence, particularly its effects on children's and young people's aggression or violent behavior; the review draws on many studies with different theories and methods. The research findings are presented in the following areas: (1) imitation; (2) aggression…

The purpose of this study is to examine how personal offensiveness to, and perceived harmfulness of, violent and sexual film content relates to the setting of minimum age limits for viewing movies containing examples of each. Using third-person effect as a theoretical framework, a 2x2 experiment was conducted. Subjects, undergraduate students in…

Reviews literature on the effectiveness of pictures used in classrooms and concludes that further research in this field can provide a basis for reliable instruction decision making. Research problems are identified, some of which are related to picture types, subject content presentation formats, and their relations with learner's…

A discussion of the present and future demands for instructional technology and emphasis is given to the potential teaching functions of television. Areas for essential research in media effectiveness are discussed, and an initial theoretical orientation to the problems of media development is provided. (Author)

The paper is directed to an examination of what is common to different forms of experience. The paper concludes that different forms of experience converge as to the knowledge they specify, but they diverge as to the skills they develop. (JB)