Recent research on mass media, with a particular emphasis on television, is reviewed for the effects that the media has on behavior and the use of media in educational endeavors. Although a very pessimistic view is taken concerning the contribution of specific research studies, it is emphasized that one should not underestimate their importance,…

An examination of the impact that process instructions have on jury deliberations was conducted using ten juries of six members each. Five of the juries were given standard jury instructions, while the remaining five were given step-by-step instructions in the deliberation process designed especially for that trial. The results indicated that…

THIS PAPER PRESENTS INDEFINITIVE APPROACHES FOR THE BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. IT REVIEWS THE STATE OF THE ART OF BEHAVIOR MEASUREMENT OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN AND SUGGESTS SOME NEW OR MODIFIED MEASURES. AN INTRODUCTORY OVERVIEW DISCUSSES REASONS FOR BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT AND FACTORS WHICH AFFECT ANY BEHAVIORAL APPROACH. SOME…

THE PURPOSE OF THIS HANDBOOK IS TO INFORM EDUCATORS AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENTISTS OF INFORMATION SERVICES WHICH MAY ASSIST THEM IN THEIR WORK. THE HANDBOOK COVERS FIVE KINDS OF INFORMATION SOURCES WHICH SUPPLEMENT MORE TRADITIONAL RESOURCES SUCH AS LIBRARIES, BOOKS, AND MOST PERIODICALS. INCLUDED ARE DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF GUIDES AND DIRECTORIES,…

Research related to the training and measurement of cognitive skills (effective behaviors in situations in which events must be organized or structured in some way) represents a point of common ground between the educator and the behavioral scientist. That we so seldom train for generalized cognitive skills is paradoxical, for most authorities…

The fundamental limits of the functional approach to the study of mass communication are embodied in two of its criticisms. The first weakness is in its logical structure and the second involves the limits that are set by known methods. Functional analysis has difficulties as a meaningful research perspective because the process of mass…

Response-cost refers to a procedure whereby a positive reinforcer is lost or some penalty is invoked following a specific misbehavior. In an alternate procedure called Differential Reinforcement of Other Responses (DRO), a reinforcing stimulus is delivered when a particular response is not emitted for a specific interval of time. This study…

In order to study the influence of need for orientation and media gratifications on media use and media effects in political communication, two previous surveys were studied to compare the causal modeling approach and the contingent conditions approach. In the first study, 339 personal interviews were conducted with registered voters during a…

The performances of three groups of neonates on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale were compared to determine if cultural differences exist. Subjects were 90 full term, healthy infants; 30 born in Puerto Rico, 30 black and 30 white born in Florida who were administered the scale within the first two days of life. Eight summary…

This paper reviews the literature concerning a conceptual model that specifies the antecedent variables that produce selective exposure and the mediating variables that justify why a person selectively exposes himself or herself to information. Two advantages accrue from the model described in the literature. First, the model enhances the…

The primary purpose of this study was to replicate and extend research in the area of teachers expectancies toward an adult education population in a remedial course, the General Technical Review Course at a military base in the Southeastern United States. The students, 68 blacks, 27 whites, and 12 Spanish speakers were initially administered an…

At present, the interaction-oriented approach dominates psychiatric research and clinical practice in conjoint family therapy and also permeates much of the work in family and group sociology. This paper focuses on the communication variables which have been measured in family interaction therapy, the ways in which family interaction investigators…

This is the "Coordinator's Book," written to accompany the "Participant's Book of the Classroom and Instructional Management Program" developed by the Central Midwestern Regional Educational Laboratory. This book is divided into the following units that are also represented in the "Participant's Book:" (1) changing classroom behavior without…

This paper empirically evaluates the proposition that political conformism, specifically structural, passive, psychological, and defensive conformism, is a function of exposure to mass media. Secondary analysis of data from the National Opinion Research Center's 1975 General Social Survey revealed a significant relationship between TV viewing and…

Ninety-six male and female undergraduates participated in a test of the influence of sex role on performance in a masculine task. Subject sex, norm (challenging or not challenging), and experimenter (male, female, or no experimenter present) were varied in a 2 x 2 x 3 design. When challenged, subjects worked more successfully in the presence of a…