Television and the American Family

This second edition of a trend-setting volume provides an updated examination of the interaction between families and the most pervasive mass medium: television. Charting the dynamic developments of the American family and television over the past decade, this volume provides a comprehensive representation of programmatic research into family and television and examines extensively the uses families make of television, how extensions of television affect usage, families' evolving attitudes toward television, the ways families have been and are portrayed on television, the effects television has on families, and the ways in which families can mediate its impact on their lives. The volume is an invaluable resource for scholars and students in the areas of media and society, children and media, and family studies.

J. Alison Bryant, J. Alison Bryant

Contents: Preface. Part I: Introduction and Overview.M. Andreasen, Evolution in the Family's Use of Television: An Overview. Part II: Uses of Television by the American Family.J.A. Kotler, J.C. Wright, A.C. Huston, Television Use in Families With Children. D.J. Atkin, Home Ecology and Children's Television Viewing in the New Media Environment. J.R. Walker, R.V. Bellamy, Jr., Remote Control Devices and Family Viewing. C.A. Lin, The VCR, Home Video Culture, and New Video Technologies. Part III: Attitudes Toward Television.D. Brown, T. Hayes, Family Attitudes Toward Television. Part IV: Portrayals of American Families on Television.J.D. Robinson, T. Skill, Five Decades of Families on Television: From the 1950s Through the 1990s. M.S. Larson, Sibling Interaction in Situation Comedies Over the Years. K.E. Heintz-Knowles, Balancing Acts: Work-Family Issues on Prime-Time TV. J.L. Dates, C.A. Stroman, Portrayals of Families of Color on Television. W. Douglas, Subversion of the American Television Family. J. Bryant, C.F. Aust, J.A. Bryant, G. Venugopalan, How Psychologically Healthy Are America's Prime-Time Television Families? Part V: Meanings and Effects.A. Alexander, The Meaning of Television in the American Family. W. Gantz, Conflicts and Resolution Strategies Associated With Television in Marital Life. J. Cantor, M-L. Mares, Effects of Television on Child and Family Emotional Well-Being. N. Signorielli, M. Morgan, Television and the Family: The Cultivation Perspective. Part VI: Mediating Television's Impact.N.L. Buerkel-Rothfuss, R.A. Buerkel, Family Mediation. E.W. Austin, Effects of Family Communication on Children's Interpretation of Television. D.M. Boush, Mediating Advertising Effects. Part VII: Public Policy Issues.J.A. Bryant, J. Bryant, L. Mullikin, J.J. McCollum, C.C. Love, Curriculum-Based Preschool Television Programming and the American Family: Historical Development, Impact of Public Policy, and Social and Educational Effects. M. Kremar, The Effect of Television Policy on Children and Families.