Films function as a persuasive process in that they bring about a reinforcement or change in attitude, belief, or behavior by producing a cognitive restructuring of the audience's frame of reference. Organized research into the effects of films falls into two categories: macro-media studies exploring the way films reflect the psychological preoccupations of the members of a particular culture and micro-media studies using small-scale studies to determine the effects of film on audiences. A number of the latter deal with the measureable effects that films have on audience attitude and behavior. These studies indicate that films can affect audiences through the following: the identification of subjects with screen characters perceived as similar to themselves; interaction-the connection the viewer makes between personal experiences and the film events; composition-the emotionally moving aspects of the technical presentation of the film; suspension of disbelief-the film's convincing reconstruction of reality; and symbolism and archetypes-the use of symbols to stimulate images in the unconscious of the audience. (MAI)