A series of studies are underway at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Audience Research Facility to examine the impact of interactivity on informational and entertainment based television viewing. In order to examine the learning of spatial skills from videogames, the first study compared the learning of spatial content from interactive (user controlled) and observational (television) media. Pre-existing cognitive styles, specifically the abilities of haptic perception and locus of control, were found to influence the subject's ability to perform with the two types of media. The second study will explore the influence of user control and interactive structure on learning from television news, as well as the influence of modality preference and pre-existing media usage patterns. The final study in the series will examine the influence of user control and interactive structure on viewers' identification and involvement with characters in the television program "Dallas." The influence of subjects' general empathy level and pre-existing media patterns will also be explored. This paper summarizes the results of the first study, describes the two follow-up studies to be conducted, and discusses the following topics as they relate to the research: (1) features of interactive television; (2) user control; (3) interaction of structure and content; (4) interactive structure; and (5) the influence of user characteristics. A 48-item bibliography is provided. (Author/MES)