Abstract: A comprehensive report summarizes the past 10 years of research activities and findings concerning the effects of television viewing on child behavior and development. Approximately 90% of all research publications on this topic appeared during this period, representing over 2500 titles. The report is presented in 2 volumes, a summary report and technical reviews. The technical reviews comprise overall, comprehensive, and critical syntheses of the scientific literature on specific topic areas, developed by 24 researchers in this area. The topic areas address such issues as cognitive and emotional aspects of television viewing; television's influences on physical and mental health; television as it relates to socialization and viewer's conceptions of social reality; and television as an American institution. The overall orientation of the report is toward research and public health issues.

This book, published originally in 1980, addressed the needs for a profile of televised violence which considered the advantages and disadvantages of various measures and for a furthering of research directions beyond the then-popular emphasis on children. The Committee on Television and Social Behavior was formed in1972 and stimulated new research in order to provide a multidimensional profile of the social effects of television programming. Chapters here look at the effect of television on adults as well as children, particularly special audiences such as the elderly and minority groups. An excellent summary of the various conceptual, substantive and methodological issues around television’s influence.

496 references to monographs, journal articles, and dissertations about the entertainment and informational aspects of television in relation to children and their behavior. Includes some foreign literature. 285 annotated references arranged alphabetically by author under broad topics; 211 supplementary references arranged alphabetically by author. Besides citation and abstract, each entry indicates the number of references included. Author index.

The study shows that television narratives have the ability to create meanings which reinforce or refute dominant ideas and myths of the society. Examines such shows as Beavis and Butt-Head; Family Matters; Home Improvement; Jenny Jones; Married With Children; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; Oprah; Roseanne; Sally Jesse Raphael; South Park, and The Simpsons.