This study explored children's play behavior as it may be influenced by a particular type of television programming, i.e., shows based on commercially available toys. Subjects were two groups of 5- to 6-year-old and 7- to 8-year-old boys who were exposed to a representative program, The Transformers, which features the Transformer toys. Exposure…

This study was carried out to examine the issue of whether discipline-derived economics courses enhance student societal understanding. News and current affairs programs on Melbourne television throughout 1986 were surveyed, and the economic concepts and issues involved were examined. Of the 125 programs that comprised the sample, 90 (72%) were…

In order to investigate the nature of character portrayals in U.S. television commercials, a content analysis was done on a random sample of 2,604 U.S. television commercials which were videotaped in March 1981. This analysis included both demographic characteristics and more subtle aspects of gender differences, such as concerns, relationships…

To investigate the integration of new communications technology into existing patterns of leisure, a functional research model must be combined with a paradigm based on leisure time and the economical use of such time. A survey of 273 Davis, California, residents investigated the relationship between the desire to subscribe to cable television…

Explores the possible influences of commercial and educational television on young children's imaginative play, intellectual development and behavior. Commercialism, learning readiness, television's unique mode of communication, and the child's sensory experiences while viewing are considered from the standpoint of developmental needs. (SDH)

The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of television advertising on different types of children--specifically, the cognitive responses and extra-product expectations fostered by television commercials in both white and black children. The subjects, 52 middle-class white children and 30 inner-city black children ranging in age from…

The situation comedy, "Soap," television's first prime-time sex farce, stirred controversy months before its premiere, and subsequent pressure on advertisers forced the network to change the show's concept from an adult comedy to a "whodunit." This report summarizes the controversy, recounts reactions to the series, and lists…

The issue of whether or not television should continue to air commercial announcements for over-the-counter (O-T-C) drugs has been debated in the United States. On 8 December 1976, the Federal Communications Commission denied a petition to ban such television commercials between 6 A.M. and 9 P.M. in part because it could find little scientific…

An analysis of the House Judiciery Committee's impeachment hearings research conducted in Florida. (Author/HB)

Developed from a talk given in the University of Illinois Faculty Forum series of lectures on the topic of violence and the mass media, held in the fall of 1968.

Before teachers can effectively use television technology in the classroom, many of their fears and uncertainties regarding the medium must be eliminated. For example, there are no studies indicating that television is nurturing a generation of dependent, passive watchers. Nevertheless, because children do spend one-sixth of their time between…

Information from six documents produced by experts to compare and analyze the 21 local and community media experiments they had visited in six countries in 1978 and 1979 is consolidated in this report. This information illustrates the variety of ways that different countries handle local media, and examines the role that such media can play either…

This paper reviews the research that examines the content of television, especially in its portrayal of women. Studies reporting on the viewing habits of the general population and particularly children are summarized. Also recounted is research that explores the relationship between sex role development in children and the presentation of sex…